The Slayers : Legacy of Darkness
by Purin-chan
Summary: Enter the legacy in which, if one's true desire is fulfilled, the world may be plunged into everlasting darkness... A continuation of the Slayers series. XL. Discontinued. Rest in peace.
1. Author's Note

Just a little note before we begin.

I have a site for this fanfic and it would probably be better if you read from there ^^;. I'll update on that site first, then come here to ff.net and post whatever chapter it is later when I remember to. It's at http://www.tslod.cjb.net

Read and enjoy please.


	2. Prequel 01

The Slayers : Legacy of Darkness 

_Prelude 01_

"FIREBALL!"

"Lina cut it out—argh!"

Despite his attempts to restrain her, she still broke out into a tantrum, throwing tables and chairs here and there while cursing at the top of her lungs using her endless air supply. People were at the opposite end of the restaurant cowering in each their own mouse holes in the wall, looking on at the tumultuous storm and destruction with very large, frightened eyes. Even the babies were too afraid to cry in front of this loose monster with the power to destroy the world, or at least the entire town.

"To hell with that Ramadeus-something-or-other guy!" She screamed through scraps of roast turkey forced to fill up the wide cavity of her mouth. "Telling us that the job was unsatisfactorily completed and kicking us out without a single penny!"

She took the roast pig lying in the center of the table and, literally, ripped it in half from sheer strength alone. Half of the onlookers fainted, convinced doomsday had finally arrived. The other half began to pray to Suifeed or some other god/idol for salvation or forgiveness for their sins. A person here and there would attempt to crawl away, but one of Lina's stray flying utensils would bar their exit.

Her companion finally regained consciousness and approached her with extreme caution. "Hey Lina, don't you think this is enough…"

She answered him with a butter knife–the closest thing within reach–pointed right at the bridge of his nose. She wore a deadly expression with full intent to murder if he spoke up again, so he didn't.

The sorceress sat back down in her chair and sighed, releasing the thick tension in the room. Her friend took a seat across the table from her, upset by her rashness and wishing someday she would learn to be more feminine.

"So what do you want to do?" he asked her in submission to her demands.

"Gourry, isn't that obvious? We go back and threaten him until he coughs up the money, then we take off with the entire stash before some guards catch us," she stated a little too optimistically. Obviously, she was omitting a lot of very…gruesome details.

Gourry sighed. There was no arguing against Lina when she was like this. And he knew he would end up being the bait for the officials, too, while Lina packed mounds of treasure into the seemingly black holes in her cape. It happened so often now that he never failed in escaping the officials anymore. And if worst came to worst, Lina would torch them all with a Dil Brand or two.

Satisfied, she threw all the bones back onto the table and stood up while dusting off her hands. To Gourry she said with a cheerful grin, "Let's get going!"

They didn't get far. Only a few blocks down the road from the restaurant, Lina bumped into someone and fell backward, but before she hit the ground this stranger caught her hand. If she had been in any other mood, she might have thanked him properly for stopping her fall and excused him for the mishap, but in this situation she lashed out viciously and without restriction.

"Who the hell do you think you are? Running into a lady and not apol-"

Her retort was cut short when she saw the face of whom she was verbally assaulting. At a loss of words, she could only stutter, "Y-Y-Y-Y-Y…"

He smiled. "Why _hello_ Lina-san! It's been so _long_ since we last exchanged _words_ like this! I hope _life_ hasn't been _too_ difficult."

Tears streamed down her face as she winced at his words and suffered the tingles running up and down her back in response to his voice. "_Why_ Suifeed? _Why_?"

Gourry, on the other hand, greeted their "friend" with glee. "Xelloss! It's been so long!"

The priest glanced up, having heard his name spoken. "Why hello Gourry-san! I see you're as bright as ever…" Xelloss noted with a weak smile as the blonde fell flat on his face, having tripped over the miniscule rubble on the ground.

He winced as a rather pointy object—Lina's forefinger—pressed sharply into his chest. He looked down to see her glaring at him like…a loose cannibal. "Oya? Have I picked a bad time?"

She pressed harder and moved her face closer to his, baring her fangs and breathing hot, heavy breaths filled with complete and utter abhorrence down his neck. She grinned, rather creepily, and inquired, "What. Are. You. Doing. Here?"

He was unaffected by her approach and thoughtfully brought a finger to his lips. "Should I be blunt or shall I beat around the bush?"

She stepped on his foot, crushing it with delight beneath her own. He cringed and bent down to inspect the damage after she removed the weight. With hot tears in his eyes, he whined, "Lina-san is so cruel. I was only joking."

"Which is EXACTLY why I did that," she lashed at him. "My patience is wearing thin. Spit out whatever you have to say quickly and go away or just go away without saying anything. Either way, you're WASTING MY TIME!"

Xelloss noticed Gourry hinting that Lina's temper shouldn't be fooled around with today or they all might see a glimpse of hell, but he didn't care. Lina was more fun to be around when she was like this, and he had something very important to discuss with her.

"To get straight to the point, I came to offer you something in exchange for your assistance—please wait, I have more to say," he said, stopping her before she could answer with a brief and concise "no" as she always did. "This time, it would be in your best interests to accept."

She was suspicious right off the bat. This didn't seem like the ordinary proposal, but mazoku were too wily to be trusted. "Go on."

Xelloss took a seat on top of a nearby brick wall and motioned for her to sit down beside him, but she stayed put. He shrugged and said, "Suit yourself. Anyway, you are aware that the ryuuzoku (this he said with some contempt) are planning an attack to completely wipe out our race, correct?"

She nodded. So that's why she had noticed dragons randomly flying around in different directions. They were planning an assault. "What does this have to do with me?"

Xelloss frowned. "I was getting to that. You are also aware that _you_ are the reason for all of this?"

That information she wasn't too sure about. "Why me?"

"Need I remind you that you tipped the scales when you killed Garv and Hellmaster-sama?"

"Oh." She had done that, hadn't she.

"Moving on. I say it is in your best interest because, as I'm sure you know, there are many mazoku who resent your very essence of being. Also, there are many ryuuzoku who are wary of your presence and would never pass up a chance to eliminate you as a threat."

"I can protect her," Gourry declared, drawing his sword as if to show proof. It was a well-done mimic which resembled the Hikari no Ken in almost every way.

Xelloss smirked a bit, amused by the human's ignorance and even more by Lina's blush. "May I remind you that, no matter how much it may _look_ like the Hikari no Ken, it is still NOT the real Hikari no Ken. You couldn't possibly protect her from a mazoku (for example, me) with that thing."

"Yes I can," Gourry stated rather confidently, and wrapped an arm around Lina's shoulder, keeping his gaze locked with Xelloss's all the while.

Xelloss was bitter, very bitter. He had received the opposite reaction from Gourry that he intended to get, and Lina was definitely unwilling to accept his proposal now. "Not that she has a choice, anyway," he noted as a small triumph and smiled again. "I assume your answer is a no?"

"Of course," Lina answered, sticking her tongue out at Xelloss as he stood up to leave. Her head was up in the clouds—Gourry rarely ever held her so close.

Xelloss stopped as he was walking away and peered back over his shoulder at the two lovebirds. "Oh, if you ever change your mind, just call my name."

"Don't be expecting it," Lina called back, rather cocky now.

Xelloss couldn't help but chuckle as he continued walking. "So you say, Lina-san. So you say…"

"You seem happy," Gourry mentioned a while later as they strolled along the paths and roads which led to Ramadeus's mansion. He was quick to notice that Lina was no longer breathing fire everywhere but was slow to understand that he was the reason as to why.

"Do I?" she asked him in a rather cute voice. She was grinning incessantly, like a child after receiving a new toy on Christmas Day. She skipped a little as she walked, showing a side of her that she would show Gourry and only Gourry. She was overjoyed—jubilant—at what he did and said earlier. Even though it may just be another guardian thing…she would just hope it was a pure display of his blossoming affection for her. Life was short; there wasn't any extra time she could waste on worrying.

But Gourry, being the kind of guy who acted on natural instinct rather than his emotions and intellect, immediately concluded that something was wrong with her. Preparing for some violent reaction, he waged a small gamble by telling her, "If you smile that much, your face will get stuck like that."

But instead of throwing her usual tantrum, she just replied with two words: That's okay. After that kind of answer, Gourry was thoroughly convinced that there was something amiss. He took her shoulders and whirled her around to face him, then slowly reached out his hand to check and see if she had a fever or some sign of illness.

Lina wasn't quite sure how to react. For one thing, she had misinterpreted his actions and assumed his was being more assertive, so she closed her eyes as her cheeks burned a bright red and waited to see what would happen.

Instead of the kiss she was expecting, Gourry pressed a hand directly to her forehead and said, "It doesn't seem like you're sick, but maybe we should to see a doctor anyway since your face is really red."

The pulsating of blood to her face quickly died down as her hopes were crushed once again. Was it true that even now he still could not see her as anything more than a child? As someone to take care of and not as someone to care for? Was she still only a little sister in his eyes?

He patted the top of her head again as if to comfort her. She had to hide her face to conceal any visible disappointment from earlier, afraid he would notice and further assume something was wrong. To her relief and further disappointment, he didn't, and they continued walking in silence.

By the time they reached the gates of the mansion, Lina was back to the way she usually was and was prepared to beat this guy into submission. She kicked down the iron gate without a sweat and motioned for Gourry to (albeit reluctantly) go in first.

The reason for his entry was soon conceived as a couple dozen guards suddenly appeared before the front door. It was nothing to worry about, but Gourry had to feign cowardice in order to divert their attention from Lina as she made her way around to the back where the master's chamber was located.

The plan was executed smoothly; Lina experienced no difficulty in sneaking around while Gourry had all the guards hot on his tail.

However, she accidentally knocked a vase over as she entered through the window and set off the alarm. A cage fell down from the ceiling, trapping her on the spot.

Ramadeus emerged from the shadows of the room, laughing a "maniacal" laugh that sounded no viler than a young girl's giggle—Tee hee! Lina grimaced as the shrill sound pierced her eardrums and the disgusting image of a rotund boor encroached upon her with slow, earth-shaking steps. He finally came to a stop approximately three feet in front of her, inconspicuously pre-marked by a bright yellow tape.

"I have you now, Miss Inverse!" declared the pudgy man as he bellowed yet another round of guffawing. His stomach jiggled as he shook—a rather unsightly image. Lina had to cover her mouth with her hand to keep from vomiting the feast she had just consumed, but her face nevertheless turned an unhealthy green.

When he had finally caught his breath, he pointed a stubby finger at her, adorned with rings of gold and silver, and said triumphantly, "If you thought you could defeat me, I'm afraid you were gravely mistaken!"

At this point, Lina's eyebrow had long been twitching and veins had begun to take appearance around her temples. Glaring directly at the man, she began to chant a spell…

But before she could finish, Ramadeus pulled out a remote control and pressed the large red button, sending a shockwave of electricity through the metal bars. He laughed again as she fell to her knees, hair sticking up in different directions and little sparks of static electricity going off at the burnt ends of her hair.

To his complete surprise, however, she began to cry—a more feminine approach in comparison to her haughtiness earlier. "You're such a heartless man! Attacking a poor, little helpless girl like me with no money even for food!" she whined, rubbing tears from her eyes as sobs escaped her throat.

He seemed to take the bait seriously and suggested, "Well if that was all there was to it, I would have gladly given you the money if you would do _this and that_ with me…"

Lina feigned a look of shame. "Oh no! You couldn't mean doing _that_!"

"Don't worry, I'll be gentle," he said, releasing her from her prison. He crawled towards her with such an eerie look on his face that it was all Lina could do to keep from gagging.

She uttered another girly scream before knocking him over the head, rather harshly, with one of her hard-as-rock fists. He was out in a blink of an eye, and she spat on his shiny bald head with a "As if I'd let you touch my perfect body!"

Gourry happened to poke his head in at that moment to ask, "_Who_ has the perfect body?" before getting hit in the face with one of Lina's famous black slippers.

"Who the hell asked for your opinion!" she snapped at him as he took off once again to avoid his pursuers. She turned around and headed towards the door to seek out the stash of treasure when her foot was snagged by something and something slithered up her leg. She glanced down to see Ramadeus, blood dripping from his nose, wrapped around her leg. Without even a second to think, she screamed the first spell that came to mind.

"Mega Brand!"

The entire west wing of the mansion, along with a large fragment of the yard, went up with the explosion. Gourry, too, had been included in the list of victims, and was currently soaring through the air. He landed just feet away from Lina, head first in the dirt. She was jumping around, brushing germs off her leg in a very vain attempt to make the grotesque feeling go away.

The jokes ended, however, when a large spear landed just inches in front of where she was standing. She paused, taking in the weight of the situation. _Nothing human could throw something that large…!_

Her intuition, as always, was correct. Above the town soared a large group of dragons, gold to be specific, and they were well armed with weapons of monstrous demeanor.

It only took her a second to figure out why they were there—Xelloss had given her a synopsis of the story earlier. Her silly expression faded, and she looked upwards at them with utmost austerity. "What do you want from me?"

The center dragon, apparently the leader of the flock and the one who threw the spear as shown by his lack of one, spoke up. "Your cooperation," boomed his voice. "Or your death."

Gourry pulled his head out of the earth and turned his head, dazed to the sky. Ignorant of the situation at hand, he shouted at Lina, "Hey look! There are golden geese in the clouds!"

Lina abruptly shushed him with a warning glance and shouted up to the dragon, "I would like to speak with you, if you would care to come down…"

Some of the other dragons made a move to attack, but the leader dragon made a motion to halt them. He paused briefly, as if to make a decision, and agreed to abide by her wish.

The person who materialized before Lina shocked her, to say the least. The dragon had apparently been _female_, and addressed herself as so. "I am the captain of the fourth squad sent to recruit you for our cause. My name is Fayle. I hope you would disregard my earlier act of rudeness and take this moment to form a momentary truce." She extended a hand of which Lina took no heed of, and frowned slightly. "I see you have taken an ill impression of me…"

Lina didn't necessarily hate the dragon—others had greeted her with much more inconsiderate introductions, she recalled, thinking of one of her former companions from the outer world. It was no time to be nostalgic, she reminded herself, and spoke to the dragon in front of her with little formality. "Get to the point."

Fayle narrowed her eyes in spite and brushed her long golden hair back before continuing. "I'm unsure whether the mazoku have approached you yet or not on this matter, seeing as you have a rather fond acquaintance among them, so I'll be brief. Do you or do you not wish to support us in the upcoming war against those demons?"

Lina rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "I'll say the same thing I said to Xelloss," she began, noting with subtle delight how the dragon girl twitched in response to his name. She was imposing herself upon his prestige when she used his name as a weapon, but it was too effective to pass up.

"I'm not interested."

The dragon seemed to have been expecting this answer and motioned to one of her men to go back and send word. Paying no further respect to the sorceress, she turned to retrieve her spear, purposefully kicking dirt onto Lina's boots as she walked by. Gourry looked on in fascination and wonder as this seemingly human girl pulled the huge weapon from the ground with no visible effort. Before Lina could silence him, he blurted out, "She looks just like Filia!"

Lina shot him a look of anger at his disregard for her earlier warning, but even she was set as still as stone by what the girl had to say next.

"Filia? That traitor? She was executed last month on account of treason."

As Fayle walked forward for room to change back into her real form, Lina mustered enough courage to ask one more question, no matter how much she dreaded the answer.

"What happened to the baby dragon she had with her?"

The dragon laughed coldly, sending shivers down both the spines of Gourry and Lina. "You ask such funny questions! That hideous monster of an ancient dragon, you mean?"

She glanced over her shoulder at the two fearful humans. Her golden eyes danced with utter joy and amusement as she answered.

"I tossed it into the ocean."

Lina fell to her knees and punched the ground, cursing the gods and their twisted sense of humor. She gritted her teeth, unable to fight the tears that fell from her eyes. Gourry made some vain attempt at the dragon, shouting something like "Damn you to hell!" but steel wasn't enough to pierce the golden scales of the servants of Suifeed, and he was battered back by the sheer force of her wings as she took flight.

"Miss Fayle, are you all right?" asked one of her followers.

She wore a rather bitter, unhappy expression as she flew right by him. "Yes," she answered. "But I have the foul taste of death on my tongue."

The dragons took their leave, ignoring Lina Inverse and her companion for the time being. Grieving was enough for them, at least for now.

But even they did not notice the third spectator sitting atop a nearby building. He applauded the performance and stood up for a better view of the two poor victims as they mourned their souls out.

"Oya oya, I see the ryuuzoku have resorted to more brutal methods of dealing with issues," he commented, enjoying the breeze that brought his feast to him. "But this is good—too good. Just a little more and Lina-san will…"

He broke off the sentence with a grin and disappeared to return to his lair to report the good news to his master. It had been a while since he had brought home good news, and this would help secure his position as part of the main offense rather than Lina's babysitter. He missed the taste of dragon's blood on his lips, and he craved more.

"It'll be just like old times," he mused.


	3. Prequel 02

_The Slayers : Legacy of Darkness_

_Prelude 02_

* * *

"Hurry, Gourry! We need to be far from town before nightfall!"

Gourry pulled the strap down tight, holding their supplies and food in place atop a horse they had purchased from some merchant who no longer needed it. He made sure the horse wasn't buckling under the sheer load of the food before he took its reigns and led it over to where Lina was accessorizing herself with her talismans and sword. Wearing a confused look, Gourry inquired, "Why are you in such a hurry to leave town?"

"Because I don't want to see any more deaths," she answered; pulling on the strings that held the sword to her belt so tightly that her fingers began to bleed. The news of her friend's execution—murder—was weighing heavily on her mind, and the news of baby Valgarv's needless murder made her a very bitter person. The golden dragons had such wanton methods of dealing with obstacles that Lina began to wonder if mazoku really were the worse of the two races, or if that was just a misconception made by ignorant people in history.

But what she said was only half the truth. She had wanted to find refuge in a nearby forest where she would be harder to find because she wouldn't be able to use magic for the next few days...

It really was a pain to be female – she noted with a frown, trying to ignore the aches she felt all around her abdomen. She never told Gourry when she was having her period, but he was usually (though oddly) quick to find out. She always wondered how he knew, but this kind of thing was one of the few things Gourry knew and understood rather well.

That must be one of the reasons why – she concluded.

Gourry inspected her actions for a while before he realized the other half of the reason for her wanting to depart so abruptly, but he made no motion to discuss it with her. He, too, was quite frankly disturbed by the unhappy news, and knew Lina would need some time to herself if she were to recover from it quickly. Three and a half years with her taught him this much, at least.

They left the town and followed the road at a good pace until the sun showed signs of wanting to set, then set off at a hasty pace towards the forest that filled the nearby pass between the mountains. The bottom edge of the sun barely touched the horizon by the time they were a good ways in, leaving enough time before dark to set up camp and get some food to eat. They had only brought rations in fruit and bread, given they were the cheapest items and they were low on cash, so they would have to hunt for meat on their own.

Since Lina was unable to use magic, she stayed back to set up camp while Gourry went to search for a meal. She had only set up the tent when an uninvited guest popped in for a visit.

She didn't greet him kindly. "What do you want, Xelloss? I don't suppose you think I've changed my mind just because of what they said, do you?"

She read him like a book, but he was still hiding an ace or two up his sleeve. "You found me out," Xelloss admitted, holding his hands up in defeat. "But that's not all I'm here for. If you're interested, prepare your camp site and make it look as though you've retired early, then come with me."

Lina cocked an eyebrow. "What are you planning now?"

He chuckled at her suspicion and answered, "The truth." Seeing that she was even more baffled and distrustful, he added, "It has to do with Gourry-san."

At the mention of his name, she instantly perked up, but soon realized her mistake when Xelloss laughed again. Burning with resentment and hatred for this obnoxious hyena, she went to do his bidding and returned briefly, awaiting further instructions. He offered a hand to her, which she flatly refused without a second's thought, and led her deeper into the forest.

Gourry had only just snagged a boar for dinner when he was greeted by Xelloss with a warm smile and wave. Returning the greeting with a wave of his own, he approached the Trickster Priest without a single suspicion in his mind, especially not one about what the priest had in mind for him.

"Xelloss! Are you heading this way too?" the blonde asked, striking up conversation.

"Well, I suppose you could say that," Xelloss responded, unsure how to answer. He was standing in front of a conspicuous looking bush, but if Gourry noticed he said nothing.

Behind the small shrubs Lina sat crouched in hiding. She wondered what it was Xelloss wanted to show her, but she knew it couldn't be good with the amount of amusement present in the mazoku's voice; not to mention the daunting atmosphere and location with no trees directly overhead to seek shelter under. It was a perfect spot to be seen...

The jigsaw pieces slowly began to form a picture. It had all been a trap—Xelloss wanted them to be spotted by a dragon scout flying overhead. She should have realized this sooner!

But before she could get up to warn Gourry, Xelloss stopped her with the question, "Gourry-san, what do you really think of Lina-san?"

He responded just as predicted. "She's an important person to me. I would rather die than see her get hurt."

"But what do you _really_ think of her?"

Xelloss smiled inwardly. From the looks of things, Lina had easily taken the bait in assuming this was a trap laid out for her cover to be blown, then being too off-guard to suspect this blow to come. Gourry, too, had fallen right into his carefully spun web and was currently stuck to it with no way out.

Gourry seemed to give the thought a good contemplation before answering, "She's kinda like a little sister to me."

Lina felt as though her heart had been crushed into an empty hollow right then and there. She was finding it difficult to breathe, but she couldn't tear herself away. This was the only way she would ever know...!

But did she want to know? She was already fairly content just staying by his side, but was being content enough for her? She wanted more—she wanted to deepen her relationship with him, so if he answered positively here then she might be happier, but if not...

"Is that the truth?" Xelloss asked.

"Yeah I'm pretty sure. Why do you want to know?" Gourry asked, still clueless to the mazoku's scheme.

Xelloss was thoroughly satisfied with the outcome. Lina was far beyond emotionally dumb-stricken at this point in time, and he savored every ounce of her sorrow. "Oh, just wondering."

Gourry accepted the explanation and walked off towards the campsite, not noticing Lina's presence at all. It was only after he was well out of hearing distance that Xelloss dared to say, "Well did you enjoy—"

Lina slapped him right across the face, hard. Tears fell from her eyes and her bottom lip quivered as she spoke.

"You're despicable."

Xelloss watched her as she stumbled along, unconsciously following the same path Gourry had taken. A grin spread across his face as he touched his red cheek with gloved fingers, and he couldn't help but laugh at the weakness of the human emotion called love.

"Fantastic. Absolutely fantastic."

Lina found two voices from within her arguing loudly. Their voices pulsated through her mind as the blood rushed to her head, clouding her already weakened senses. She couldn't think straight, and the voices in her head were not considerate of her mental state. She swayed in place, wondering which voice to listen to—the one telling her to talk to him or the one telling her to run far, far away.

The latter was screaming more loudly, but the former won.

She figured walking up to camp like that would be out of place, so she settled herself behind some shrubbery a couple feet away. She could smell the delicious aroma of roast pig—Gourry was particularly good at cooking the meat just right—but she had no appetite for it. Instead, she sat with her back to a tree and watched the moon, seeking some calm in its soothing light.

"I guess Lina already went to bed," the swordsman commented, noticing how the tent flap was securely shut, a sign that she didn't want to be disturbed. "I suppose that means more food for me!"

Lina listened to his chiming with dry humor, wondering why she had come back after all. It's not like she would gain anything out of listening to him talk to himself about incessant things, she thought, but made no attempt to move. She just didn't feel like getting up.

"Though Lina must be upset over this entire dragon thing, so I guess I should save some for her," Gourry said, surprising Lina. He actually considered her feelings...? She never would have imagined...but she enjoyed it.

A smile appeared on her face, but she wasn't happy for long. Tears ran down from her eyes, and she hid her coarse breathing within the threads of her clothes. It was a secret she shared only with things that couldn't speak—that even Lina Inverse, the most feared sorceress in the world, cried tears like a normal human being.

It was only after she stopped crying a little while later that she noticed Gourry had fallen asleep. She smiled and crawled silently towards her tent, making periodic checks on him as she moved stealthily, wondering what the content expression was for.

As she passed in front of him, she saw the folded paper resting between his fingers, and out of curiosity, she removed it from his grasp to inspect.

It was perfumed with the scent of roses, something that was only done to love letters sent by a refined female. Not being quick to judge, though, she carefully unfolded the tiny note and began to read.

The handwriting she immediately recognized as belonging to her friend, Sylphiel. The "Dear Gourry-sama" that began it also reinforced the inference, but instead of causing a nostalgic smile, it filled her with trepidation and dread. Why? Why was he still contacting the shrine maiden? What did she say that—God forbid—filled him with the joy that even Lina could not provide? What was it that girl had that she could not do?

And had she won?

Lina's eyes scanned the letter pervasively, understanding the deeper meaning of the words down to the tiniest detail. It may have appeared to be a simple letter asking for his well-being and providing information about the progress of her life, but Lina could see a deeper meaning and affection masked behind those warm words.

My dear, beloved Gourry-sama,

How are you doing? I hope you are not too troubled, and I pray daily for your safety. Remember to eat well and look after your health in my absence.

The reconstruction of Sairaag is going well, thank the Gods. People have begun to return, and the sight of children playing in the streets warms my heart. The next time you come to visit, I hope you will meet this boy, Jacob. He is a well-refined boy with good manners and a heart of the purest gold. He aspires to be just like you, Gourry-sama, and he trains many hours a day to become a swordsman of great stature. He is very sweet and wishes you the best of luck in your journey.

There was one thing that bothered me, however. The streets have begun to look so much like the Sairaag we used to know that I found myself shedding tears due to my lost memories. I couldn't bear it any longer, so I passed the project down on to one of my most dedicated companions and set out on a journey of my own. I thought I might be satisfied serving others and bettering this world with my magic, but I began to feel lonelier and lonelier by the day. Oh Gourry-sama, if only you could see how much the children resemble you...

The words pierced through her heart and tore it to shreds. They had children? And Gourry had kept this secret from her? Didn't she have some right to know...?

The question answered itself. Gourry never had to tell her anything about his personal life. Actually, he never did.

Her first instinctive reaction was to toss it into the fire, letting the flames swallow and engulf the benign words that stole the love of her life away. But a sudden rush of guilt and loss overwhelmed her and stopped her actions. Finding it difficult to breathe and feeling as though she were being crushed beneath the weight of the evening sky, she dropped the note and ran away, as if to evade the pressure that threatened to consume her. The mind that had been fleeting in the clouds just earlier that day had suddenly been tossed into a desolate void. She was engulfed by rue, and this time no one would be there to save her.

When she awoke, the sun greeted her with its warm rays, but it did nothing to wash away her pain and suffering. Her body ached from head to toe, and as she looked up, she could see the rocky cliff that had undoubtedly been the cause for her bruised and battered form. She was covered with dirt and even though she was too numb to feel it, insects crawled all over her.

She made a vain attempt to move, but a stinging pain in her leg answered why she had been unable to feel anything crawling on it. She glanced down to see it swollen and horribly disfigured, signs of a broken bone that needed immediate attention. She felt too upset to let it successfully hinder her, though, and while gritting her teeth she forced herself to stand. But a few seconds later she succumbed to the pain and fell on her stomach, beaten by the circumstances.

She pulled a handful of grass out of the ground and began to cry. What had she done to deserve this series of unfortunate events?

She had fallen in love – that was what she had done.

Accepting her defeat, she lied prostrate on the ground, knowing no one would find her at the bottom of this empty ravine. If a ryuuzoku found her now and torched her body to ashes, she really wouldn't care. In fact, they'd be doing her a favor.

But no, whoever had sent her through this hellish torment was obviously not done.

"Oh my, I never imagined I'd see the day in which Lina Inverse is defeated by her own mistakes," rang the cheery voice from the top of the cliff. Seeing that she was unwilling to respond, he descended and reached out to turn her over.

But she was quick to react to his touch, grabbing his hand and holding it away from her as if it was poison. Xelloss was purely shocked to see her look so pitiful, and he said nothing more as she turned her back to him, supporting the weight of her upper body with her arms. The delicious flavor of her agony suddenly turned bitter, and he felt a capricious responsibility to help her.

He offered his cloak to her, but she rejected it instantaneously. Seeing that he was not educated in first aid, he simply wrapped strips torn from his cloak around her wounded leg. Lina writhed in pain from his less-than-gentle touch, but made no gesture to show that it, quite frankly, hurt like _hell_. But what position was she in to protest? If he hadn't found her, she would still be dying peacefully.

But before she could ask him for the reason behind his actions, she found herself aloft in the air, high above the forest she was in less than a second ago. The first thing she noticed was that she was in Xelloss's arms. The second...

"What reason does a mazoku like you have for tending to—or rather—simply being around Lina Inverse?"

Lina turned her head toward the source of the voice. It was a fleet of golden dragons, but the dragon from yesterday, Fayle, was not present among them. Apparently they were underlings from the way they lacked uniformity and how no particular dragon held its head high. There was no real threat among them.

The threat, instead, came from the person whose arms she lay in.

"Oya oya, it was somewhat rude of you to interrupt me as I was tending to the wounds of a fallen friend," Xelloss commented, looking upon his visitors—victims—with unsuppressed mal-intent. A fraction of the fleet flew away in cowardice, hoping to preserve themselves for one more day and ignoring the shouts of protests from their avid "leader". Xelloss licked his lips and raised one hand up, index finger pointed at the young dragon on the end...

"Stop! Please stop! We meant no-"

But it was too late for an apology. With a simple wave of his arm, the entire fleet—save the animated leader—was wiped out of existence. Such was the power he possessed, and such was the power that Lina had only heard rumors and tales of. It was more than needed to leave her completely and utterly speechless.

The sole survivor shivered from his position, but he was far too afraid to move. Xelloss laughed a bit, sending more shivers down the dragon'' spine, then said, "Go running home to mommy. She must be worried to _death_."

It seemed as though he hit it right on the mark since the dragon flew away cursing and condemning him to hell, a comment Xelloss took as a compliment. His self-esteem was soon shattered by Lina when she stated," You're just like them."

Insulted by the comment but managing to retain his composure, Xelloss asked, "What do you mean by that, Lina-san?"

She stared him in the eye. "I mean you take lives without feeling any regret. It's all a game to you."

He smiled. "You couldn't be more correct, but you are wrong if you think they act the same way."

She shrugged. If that was what he wished to believe, then let him believe. She wasn't in a mood to argue with him; her body still ached from head to toe.

After they had safely reached the ground and Lina had properly bandaged her leg up (including the painful process of popping her bone back into place), Xelloss began to tell her his reason from reapproaching her.

"Seeing as though you are at a lack of a guardian (thanks to myself), I am here to offer you my protection from whatever the ryuuzoku might have planned for you. Furthermore, if you're interested, I have the whereabouts of your missing chimera friend, along with information on his current lead, an old relic referred to as the Faery's Tear."

Lina ignored the proposal, with the exception of the part about Zelgadiss, but found another benefit to accepting Xelloss's care. She couldn't face Gourry right now, and she was hardly capable of combat...so she had no choice but to accept, though grimly.

Xelloss smiled. "Good! It is nice to have you in my company again, Lina-san."

She groaned, starting to doubt the meager amount of justification she had behind her concurrence. "Trust me, the pleasure is _all_ yours."

* * *

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	4. Prequel 03

"But Juu-ou-sama!"

"No buts. You are to follow the girl and that's that."

"I don't understand! Why not send someone else in my place? I'd be of better use out in the front line…"

"That's only what you believe. No one else is able to sway the opinion of Lina Inverse as you have, so you are the one most suited for this position. Don't disappoint me."

"Linaaaaa! Where are you? Linaaaaaaaaaa!"

Gourry had only just discovered she was missing a few minutes earlier when she hadn't come out of her tent to switch watches with Gourry. It was unlike her to sleep in, even when she was on her period, so he went to check on her. The sleeping back was set convincingly enough, but a person like Lina would never sleep so soundly and neatly. He knew she was gone without ever lifting the blanket.

He rubbed his goosebump-laden arms and shivered. The weather was getting colder, oddly since they were in a valley, and they hadn't brought spare clothing in case the situation would arise. And the horse had gotten ill on the first night; it was a troublesome burden.

He could hear a stream running nearby and decided to stop by it to refresh himself. He wasn't going to get anywhere by worrying, and the worst thing he could do to Lina was to die from not caring for his health. Besides, she'd probably return on her own before the end of the day. She wouldn't be able to get far by herself during this time.

Or at least, he hoped she would return.

"Is that the sound of running water?" wondered Lina as they were slowly making their way around the forest. The dragons were keeping a tight watch over the area due to Xelloss's actions yesterday, so escape would prove to be hazardous and might lead to an early declaration of warfare. With the mazoku still in the process of strengthening their defenses, an attack now from the ryuuzoku might lead to a premature defeat. Also, if Lina Inverse was caught now, the mazoku would lose a vital factor to their victory in this upcoming war (or _sensou_ to be specific). Xelloss's role in this matter right now was crucial to the outcome, and no matter how much he abhorred the job, he acknowledged its importance. He'd have to lay low with her for the time being, at least until she got her powers back.

"Are you hungry?" Xelloss asked. He was carrying her on his back since she couldn't walk with her broken leg, even though she protested against his aid at the beginning, pretending that she would be fine on her own. He wasn't too sure of their destination, but they had to keep on the move or they would be spotted easily.

Lina shook her head no. She wasn't in the mood for eating, though her stomach disagreed with her decision. "But I'd like a bath," she muttered, still covered from head to toe in dirt and grime.

Xelloss stopped walking. "If it's a bath you want, there's a stream nearby," he said. "But it might be risky, so if you're going to do it then make it quick."

She grumbled as she jumped off his back. "Just make sure you don't peek," she said as she limped off in the direction of the river, leaving Xelloss feeling a bit subdued.

"As if I'd want to," he muttered, but followed her anyway, justifying his impertinence with the excuse that he simply needed to watch over her in case something happened.

Lina scanned the edges of the river, making sure that no living thing was around to watch her undress. She began by taking off her gloves and boots, then undid her cape, or what was left of it. Setting that all aside, she went to test the temperature of the water—cold. But whining wouldn't make her powers come back faster, so she stripped the rest of her clothes off and, shivering from the sharp wind, ran quickly into the water, trying to hide from the numbing cold breeze. The cold water soothed her wounds but did nothing for her heavily aching body. But at least, the soft reflection of the moon above in the gentle ripples of the flowing water placated her soul and ameliorated her mood.

Xelloss watched from a distance, concealed behind leaves and shadows, making sure that his clandestine presence would remain undetected by his captivator. He watched in fascination, bewitched by the beauty of the vision as moonlight stroked the voluptuous curves of her female body. He was constantly in denial, repeating words of conceitedness in his mind yet being unable to remove his eyes from her. There was something mystical about the water flowing from the transient mountains, and it possessed the ability to calm even the soul of a mazoku—his soul.

So Lina continued bathing, Xelloss continued watching, and as tension built up in the areas surrounding the forest, the moon cast its spell to break down the iron walls forged around a bitter, unfeeling heart.

Gourry reached the river and leaned down to take a sip of the clean, naturally-filtered water. He licked the remaining droplets from his chapped lips as he pulled out a canteen to fill. But as he let the water run into the canteen, he noticed the water gradually got murkier, as though someone had just disturbed the riverbed upstream, accompanied by a faint smell of blood. And for some reason, he could just _feel_ that it might be Lina…

Dropping all the camping equipment there on the spot, Gourry began making his way upstream, hoping and praying for it to be Lina, then following that prayer with another for her safety.

Xelloss hadn't been at all prepared for what happened next. Because he had been unconsciously blinded to the kinds of things he would usually sense naturally, he was startled to find a few golden dragons hovering over that gap in the forest. Add the approaching swordsman in the distance, and you get quite the recipe for trouble.

He had barely gotten down from his branch when Lina noticed Gourry's presence. Her body was immobilized at the sight of him, and he stood in place, breath caught in his throat as his eyes traveled up her bare back to meet her eyes. For the first time in his life, he saw her not as a little girl but as a woman.

But he felt disgusted at himself for it and threw those perverted thoughts out the window. Slowly, one step at a time, he began to approach her. He wanted to know why she had run off, but silence would suffice for now.

Lina shrank back as he got nearer. She wasn't sure what to do—what to say—and could hardly utter his name, though it was quickly swallowed up by the wind. But before she could react, Xelloss had taken hold of one of her arms and was urging her to flee with him. She was resisting uncontrollably, and he tried persuasion when a sharp object fell from the skies above and embedded itself deep within his shoulder.

Cursing the Gods (literally), Xelloss wrapped an arm around the girl's waist and took off into the forest, opposite the side from which they had come. Gourry was purely shocked to have found Xelloss with her, and presumed the worst. Had she truly formed a pact with Xelloss – an alliance with the mazoku? Would this mean that in the near future he and Lina would cross blades, one fighting for the preservation of mankind and the other pressing for its obliteration?

He fell and sat down in the water, wondering what it was he needed to do next. He'd hit a block in the road, and the mud swallowed up his feet, keeping him from going forward.

So he rested.

Lina thrashed about in Xelloss's arms, screaming at the top of her lungs for Gourry, Gourry, Gourry! She seemed to forget for the moment that she was stark naked, thinking of nothing but the person of her desires who she was growing increasingly farther and farther away from.

Xelloss was getting fed up with her antics and raised his voice at her. "Would you _please_ shut up before some golden dragons find us!"

She bit back at the sudden outburst, but her anger quickly overflowed and the weak dam broke as she retorted with, "I don't see why you're so concerned Mr. I've-slayed-thousands-of-dragons-with-the-simple-flick-of-my-finger."

She hit him with that statement, right on his wound and hard. He winced and returned them to the ground, driving them towards the cliff they had been flying towards. Lina roughly crashed into the rocky surface, cringing from the pain in her leg as well as the newly formed bruise on her shoulder blade, but she was stunned into silence when he slammed his fist into the cliff wall and caused small rubble to fall down onto her head. But she dared not blink, for his violent eyes, merely a couple inches from her own, bore into her. She had never felt so vulnerable before, so helpless and so indecently exposed.

The deep rumbling of thunder pierced through the skies, the lightning illuminating his deathly serious expression and adding to the already ominous atmosphere. His eyes ran over the features of her face, and what she took as a silence used to fill her with dread was in actuality a search for where and how to begin.

But his face suddenly went from threatening to troubled. "Am I really that insignificant?" – is what he had intended on saying…what he had wanted to say…but he had not the strength to. Instead, he began coldly, "Didn't you say you were going to forget about him?"

She became angry again. "Was that all? Was that the reason you had to drag me away against my will? It's not as if you care what happens to me. You're just trying to keep me from him and _use_ me for your race. This is another one of your ploys, isn't it?"

He would have been glad if it was, but it wasn't. He had honestly been trying to protect her from the dragons, and, even though he didn't acknowledge it himself, he had felt a little jealous and possessive over his newly acquired "treasure". The object embedded in his arm, whatever it was, was draining his energy away, and it burned furiously from inside him. He staggered backward and fell upon the ground just as the first droplets of rain began to fall.

Lina ignored him and picked up her clothes he had remembered to grab as they fled, making motion to leave. As she walked past him, Xelloss reached out and took hold of her arm, but he had used the injured arm without thinking and retracted it quickly. The searing pain was becoming worse and worse, and he was afraid it could be…That.

Lina studied his uncanny reaction, not quite sure what to make of it at first, then putting two and two together and concluded with the question: "You're hurt?"

He didn't respond, but she assumed that meant he was. She quickly slid into her shirt and reached out to check his shoulder, but he withdrew before she could. Keeping his gaze averted, he muttered, "It wouldn't help if you inspected it anyway."

Even if he successfully hid his worried face from her, Lina could sense it in his words. There was something amiss…and the more she thought about it, the closer she came to the truth. Mazoku were only gravely troubled if their life was in peril, and the only thing that could inflict that kind of thing upon him out in the wilderness like this was…

A golden dragon.

Then she understood. No matter how much higher the probability of it all being a scheme was, somehow she felt that he had sincerely been worried about her safety—her life—though that was behavior that was unheard of among the mazoku race. Not only did they care for nothing other than themselves or their masters, depending on their rank, but they also held humans of little to no value. So what was she to him that would cause him to risk his life—his existence—for her?

"Well…" he began. "If this really is what I think it is, then our agreement will soon be rendered null and void and you will be free to roam as you wish…following that _Gourry-san_ of yours to the ends of the world as he leads you off a cliff to your death," he spat in contempt for that feeling of love she had for him. But instead of leaving, she walked over, leaving fresh footprints in the now loose mud, and crouched down in front of him. It was his turn to feel a pervasive stare digging down into his soul, and he stared back at her in languid stupor.

Without her needing to ask, he explained that the object was most likely made with pure, chastised Dragon's blood. Normal dragon's blood had no profound effects on mazoku, but ritualized blood was a deadly poison. "And it's incurable."

So basically what she concluded from this information was that Xelloss had been the intended target from the beginning and she had been used as a precaution. "Are you sure that there's no cure?"

He paused briefly. "…I'd be lying if I said it was incurable, but it _is_ impossible. Unless you can magically resurrect Shabranigdu-sama."

His allusions left her confused. "Why couldn't he just be blunt about things?" she wondered.

He caught her confused expression and further explained, "The only way to cancel the effect is to negate its powers…in other words, to drown it out with the essence of the strongest mazoku existence, Shabranigdu-sama."

The situation certainly seemed grim. After all, fragments of the mazoku king didn't exactly appear every day…

But Lina was the kind of person who could make the impossible possible, and she realized there might be a solution nearby. "Say, Xelloss. Would it work if the powers resided in a dormant fragment?"

He didn't understand why she asked that, but he responded anyway. "I don't see why it wouldn't, but what are you…"

Lina stood up, careful not to put any strain on her right leg. She pulled back wet strands of hair that stuck to her face and said, "We're near the Katart Mountains aren't we? Isn't Lei Magnus still sleeping dormant there?"

It was an absurd idea for just two people—both injured at that—to walk into that valley alone. Also, the numbers of dragons would have multiplied in that region due to the upcoming war.

"That's crazy," Xelloss answered. "We'd both be killed."

"Then are you telling me to sit around and enjoy my life as you slowly die here in front of me?" she snapped, rendering him speechless. "Don't get me wrong; it's just that I'm not a person low enough to leave my friend alone to die. That and I already feel indebted to you for earlier."

Xelloss cocked an eyebrow. Friend? Had he heard her correctly? No one had ever declared that Xelloss had been a comrade ever before…much less a friend. It filled him with an uncertainty and discomfort, but at the same time he was relieved that his doubts from earlier were inaccurate. He mattered to her, at least a little bit if nothing else. So his efforts hadn't been in vain, after all.

Efforts? Was it true that he desired some acceptance outside of his secluded bubble consisting of only him and the Beastmaster? But if it was, then why did he confide in Lina Inverse of all people? Was it because she had been the only person to ever treat him as an equal, not revering and fearing him as the priest-serving-general mazoku that he was?

But she utterly shocked him with her next statement. "I'll go and bring back some of his crystallized essence for you. You're in no condition to fight."

It was odd of her to do charity work for someone, especially him. "You're in no condition to fight, either," he pointed out, eyeing that limp of hers.

"It'll be as good as new once I get my powers back," she said.

"Then let me be your crutch in the meantime. I may not be able to use my powers (or it would speed up the poison), but I can at least help you walk."

Lina hated relying on others for help. She was so used to being depended upon to save the day that she rarely thought she could be in need of assistance every now and then, too. But here she had no choice, and accepted his offer hesitantly.


	5. Prequel 04

"You're heavy."  
He had said it as a joke, but Lina took it to offense and slapped him upside the head for cracking an insult like that, particularly when she was not in the best of moods. Though it didn't necessarily hurt him, being a mazoku and all, he made a mental note to keep his mouth shut if he didn't want his head rotated one-hundred-eighty degrees by the end of the day. And that was only if she was feeling merciful. It must be a pain to be a human female – he thought with dry humor.  
Lina tried to refrain from falling asleep on Xelloss's broad, warm back, but the illusion of sleep was becoming annoyingly persistent, and Lina could hardly resist shutting her eyelids for a little rest. Besides, her reflexes were always top-notch, for better or for worse depending on what unfortunate soul was near her at the moment of awakening. And Xelloss was a revered mazoku with a lot of pride, so he wouldn't break a pact with her and toss her out for the vultures to feed on her corpse. Although, since this was Xelloss, she shouldn't be trying to figure out what he _was_ going to do, but rather what no one would ever imagine him _doing_. But that kind of thinking would also be in vain because he always managed to do the unpredictable…since it was part of his nature as the master of deception and chicanery…  
All that thinking eventually knocked Lina out. Xelloss let out a long breath, loosening the tension that had collected inside of him. He was always upsetting her – something that needed to be fixed if he was going to receive any sort of cooperation from this uncontrollable wildfire of a human being. And with that kind of thinking, he would be forced to watch the words that rolled ever so freely off the tip of his tongue, for slips of the tongue happened too often to be healthy. It was okay, though, since his job as a mazoku was to annoy and incite feelings of anger within a being.  
He suddenly became aware that, unless Lina rested properly, her health and mood would remain beneath the surface and he would be forced to endure long grueling hours of her griping and complaining throughout the day. He found a nice shadowed area, concealed from above by a thick mesh of tree leaves, along his path and put her down on top of his flattened cloak to sleep. He could keep watch until morning, since he didn't require sleep to keep his sanity (or lack thereof) and energy levels high, so she could rest here peacefully and, at the same time, he would be given time to enjoy his own company.  
Or that would have been the ideal situation, but Lina would not let go of her source of warmth and clung tightly to Xelloss. Her face pressed up against his stomach, her arms around his waist, and the rest of her body lay out in front of him between his propped legs. Her pleasure was driving him insane, but he couldn't do anything about it, so he gave up and tossed the cloak over her back, pinning the top in place by resting his hand on her shoulder. His other hand provided support for keeping his torso upright, but his elbow was loose enough to keep his arm from going numb. It was gong to be a long night, but at least the next day would be much easier to bear…or at least he hoped it would have that general effect.  
But of course, an unexpected and unwanted visitor had to appear to ruin a calm night. As the person approached, she snapped a twig, alerting both human and mazoku to her presence. Lina bolted up quickly, hand on the hilt of her sword and ready to draw it at any given moment, but as her mind adjusted to being awake again, she realized that Xelloss stood in front of her, arm extended, blocking her from any danger this stranger could possibly launch at then. And then she realized how incredibly _awkward_ it was to be able to _rely_ on _The Xelloss_ to protect her, and she wondered what an incredibly strange situation she was suddenly experiencing.  
The mysterious visitor was unveiled to be Fayle, the young golden dragon Lina had met only once before, but this time, her eyes were cold as ice, particularly towards Xelloss. When she was within reasonable talking distance, she ordered the two men who had accompanied her to leave them alone to "converse," and as son as they were out of sight, she began by asking, "So you have decided to join those mazoku?"  
"Not necessarily," Lina replied, making Xelloss wonder if she had betrayed her already, but Lina went on to say, "But I am going to aid them, since their goal is similar to my own."  
"You mean you want world destruction and the obliteration of all other races?" Fayle asked, disgusted by her foolish decision.  
Lina shook her head. "No, I'm just going to help them stop _you_."  
The dragon girl stared at her for a moment or two, then spontaneously burst out laughing. The sudden rancor started both Lina and Xelloss, neither of whom expected such a carefree disposition from someone who commanded so much respect. When she had finally regained her composure, which included wiping the stray tears from her eyes, she said, "I like you. You're an interesting person."  
Lina was somewhat ticked off that she hadn't been taken seriously, and the dragon caught her mistake but did nothing to fix it. Instead, she ran a hand through her silky golden hair and said, "It was a compliment."  
"Why are you here?" Xelloss asked, cutting straight to the point since the dragon was beginning to annoy him as well. "I could kill you on the spot if I wanted to, you know." Though with Lina there, that course of action would probably prove to not be worthwhile.  
Fayle smiled. "But I know you won't because you'd be disobeying orders," she said, as though it were a statement when it really was only a presumption. But it was true, Xelloss had been given strict orders to avoid initiating any sort of conflict with one of the five ryuuzoku. If encountered, he was ordered to evade combat and flee immediately. This dragon, however, apparently had no intention of leaving or letting him leave.  
Fayle took a seat on a tree stub and crossed her legs. She stretched and yawned, muttered something about the effects of idleness, then began the conversation. "To be honest, I'm here for you, Xelloss. I've come to request information about how prepared the mazoku are for initiative attacks."  
The mazoku had only just begun preparing their forces, but he wasn't about to tell Her that. "Why do you wish to know?"  
"I don't like to stage a full-fledged war without having the opposing party ready…" she mumbled. "It's like killing helpless children…"  
Lina noticed that she had said that last sentence with a strangely large amount of remorse, given this was the same dragon who had laughed only yesterday about throwing baby Valgarv into the ocean. She seemed to almost be an entirely different person.  
Seeing that Xelloss had absolutely no intention of telling her anything, she shrugged and said, "Well, whatever you want to do is your own business. I'm just here to talk today." Her eyes fell on this left shoulder. "I hear someone planted purified dragon's blood in you?"  
He stiffened. "How did you know that?"  
"And who did it?" Lina butted in, pushing by Xelloss's extended arm and ignoring the nonverbal advice he had given her. He had silenced her long enough; she was tired of standing and waiting.  
"Because it was one of my own men who did it," she answered. "I must admit it is a good strategy, but it does not present itself honorably, so I never issued the order. He's been given…responsibilities back at base for his actions, but more dragons will be after you now that you've been removed of an extensive use of your powers."  
Xelloss didn't quite believe her, but he let her go on anyway.  
"Either way, you shouldn't have too much trouble sneaking into the Katart Mountain valley. A lot of dragons have left, contrary to popular opinion, due to the recent outbreak of werewolves…"  
"Werewolves?" Lina and Xelloss exclaimed almost simultaneously. No one liked to deal with them, beings of rash and uncontrollable behavior. Not to mention the horrid stench they carried around, along with their spontaneity. Easy to dispose of if you have the means to, but if they caught you off-guard or in numbers, they could pose a decent threat. There's also the teeth to avoid, if you wanted to stay human.  
Fayle nodded. "It's unexplained, but they suddenly multiplied in numbers around here. A couple of our kind have already been wounded by them, and they make it incredibly difficult to forge weapons when they continue to break them, so many of our kind have left already."  
"Why are you telling us this?" Lina asked. This dragon was harder to read than Xelloss was, and that in itself was a commendable accomplishment. "Almost like his counterpart," she mused, "equally as annoying and just as hard to trust."  
Fayle shrugged and stood up. "To give you a fair chance, I suppose. It's no fun otherwise." She walked towards her awaiting men and left without a word more.

"Hey Xelloss," Lina said. They had rested up for the rest of the night and were following a path up the side of the mountain, Lina still riding on Xelloss's back. His arm was gradually getting worse with time, and now he couldn't feel anything through his fingertips anymore. Unfortunately for Lina, her powers were still nullified and her leg remained broken for the time being. But, luckily, since Fayle had left this area for the time being with her dragon squad, they had few things to worry about. At least, during the day they didn't.  
Lina glanced over her shoulder at the vast expanse of wilderness that stretched out below them. If they maintained this pace, they might reach the mountain Cliffside where Lei Magnus resided before nightfall the next day. Hopefully Xelloss would hold out until then…  
"Lina-san?"  
She blushed when she realized she had actually been worrying about the mazoku. Now _that_ was something special indeed. "Oh…it's nothing."  
He wondered about her peculiar behavior, but assumed it most likely had something to do with Gourry. He wasn't in the mood for a conversation about love (he never was, in fact, since he was a mazoku), but apparently Lina had other ideas.  
But to his surprise, her question had absolutely nothing to do with Gourry. "Xelloss, have you ever been in love? …I mean, I know you're a mazoku and all but…just maybe…" she asked, realizing how stupid she must have sounded asking a mazoku that kind of question.  
He paused briefly. "What would you define love as?" he asked.  
Lina paused briefly, searching for an appropriate definition of the word. With a bit of difficulty, she began slowly, "It's when you…feel a strong attraction towards someone who makes you happy…"  
Xelloss cocked an eyebrow. "When you feel pleasure being around someone?"  
Lina frowned in frustration. "Not _pleasure_ per say…but has there ever been anyone you just feel like…you'd be happy just being able to stay by their side…?"  
Xelloss stayed quiet for a long time, and Lina wasn't sure whether or not he was trying to think of an answer or if he was ignoring her question. But he answered her question with, "I don't think I can understand what you're saying."  
Lina sighed, realizing it was a stupid idea to attempt to strike conversation on a topic like love with Xelloss, a feeling mazoku never felt nor had the capability of feeling. She played with a lock of her own hair in silence with no intention of talking anymore, but Xelloss interrupted her thinking process this time.  
"I think you would have best described it as a long lasting source of pleasure because I can vaguely imagine what it might be like. However, mazoku tend to keep away from having those kinds of relationships because it's too dangerous…"  
"Why?" Lina wondered.  
He turned his face upward to the sky, watching as the clouds passed by above them. "Because it's like our drug…we'll take too much and eventually die from it."

They had just reached the outer area of the Katart Mountains when the red sun began to set. As Lina busied herself re-wrapping her broken leg, Xelloss ventured further to check on the presence of golden dragons, not trusting his fuzzy sense for them that detected none of the species in the area. He told Lina to call out for his help if anything happened, but she was less than pleased by the idea and didn't agree to it. He shrugged and left her alone, sure he would return before They came out, anyway.  
But it was more than her leg that bothered her – she had begun to ache in _certain places_ again because of a _certain something_, and there was nothing she could do here to counter the agony. "At least my powers will begin to return tomorrow, she thought.  
The fact that it was cold this high up in the mountains didn't really help. Rather than just being hungry and in pain, she was _cold, hungry, _and _in pain_. She hoped Xelloss would remember to grab something on the way back, since she couldn't exactly conduct a hunt on her own.  
She rested her back against a tree as she sat down, hand resting across her stomach as she stared off into the sunset. If she could focus on other, calming things, she wouldn't be able to think of her physical pain, so she closed her eyes and focused on the sweet melody of the forest as it prepared for a night of temperance and serenity. She focused on the lingering rays of sunshine as they disappeared behind the horizon, a place she had once hoped to reach one day when she was still a child because there she would find the answer to why the light sometimes gave way for darkness. But as her life progressed, the answer would unveil itself with time.  
As the moon rose in the eastern sky, Lina could hear the faint howls of wolves in the forest as they broke out of their human shells and scouted the land for living flesh. Lina was practically a sitting duck, with nothing left to defend herself with aside from her sword…and Xelloss. But as if she would ask for his help when she could take care of herself on her own. She had done so for countless years of her life…  
A rustle in the bushes behind her sprung her to her feet. Though she seemed even more vulnerable standing on wobbly legs, she would at least be able to dodge a head-front attack. However, she hadn't quite figured out what she would do when the creature launched a second attack, and she was even less prepared for the mob that was approaching her.  
She stood her ground, sword ready, and watched carefully as the beast approached her on all fours. It was a small wolverine in comparison to some she had seen before, which meant both good and bad – it lacked the necessary strength to take her down in one hit but it would be exceedingly agile, so she would be taking many small hits instead.  
Thankfully, the young werewolf's patterns were easy to predict. Lina recognized the usually pause before an attack and was easily able to deflect the fangs with her sword. As the little predator circled around for another attack, Lina braced herself and managed to wound it just behind its neck as it leapt at her. She had only realized the magnitude of her mistake when the werewolf crawled away and howls filled the stalid night air, chilling her to her bones. She sheathed her sword and practically carried her broken leg in her hands as she limped in the opposite direction of the howling, hoping for some area in which she could take refuge.  
But alas, luck never quite works out so well and she found herself cornered against the edge of a cliff, faced by three snarling werewolves. These were larger in size and much more fearsome, most likely the adult males of the pack judging by the bulk of their body. The situation seemed deathly grim as Lina frantically looked around for a solution, but she was not given enough time as a werewolf launched itself at her. She barely pulled her sword out in time to catch its teeth, but the sheer force of its tackle force her off her feet and sent them both into the air, plummeting down the steep cliff side.  
Lina tried to escape from the beast's clutches, but human strength waned in comparison to the strength of the beast, and her efforts were in vain. The beast turned its face to her, ready to bite off her head. Her eyes widened in panic and she cursed – "Shit!"  
But the head of the werewolf suddenly flew clear off its shoulders in one nice, clean cut. A gloved hand reached out to pulled the sword effortlessly from its place situated between its fangs, and suddenly the body, a bloody mess, was stabbed right through the middle and flung off to the side. Lina was mute as her savior took her by her waist and stopped their fall by catching a protruding edge in the cliff. She stared at him in silence, unable to speak a word.  
"I thought I told you to call for me if something came up," he stated sternly. Rather unhappy with the circumstances.  
Lina flushed and looked away in embarrassment, but he demanded to know why she hadn't called for his help. Taking a second glance at him, she noticed that he was splattered from head to toe in crimson blood, and Lina realized that the reason why only three werewolves had caught up to her was the fact that Xelloss had killed off the rest of them on his way back. She owed him another, again. Swallowing her pride for the moment, she muttered, "Sorry."  
Xelloss was quickly losing his grip on the mountainside and barely gave Lina enough of a warning before pushing away from the rocky cliff, sending them soaring through the air and into the forest below. Lina's voice was caught too deeply in her throat to scream properly, and she only managed to wail in jagged segments as they fell. But apparently Xelloss had everything under control, for they landed safely and silently on the ground.  
Or at least, Lina did. Xelloss was beginning to show signs of pain. Apparently he had overstrained his abilities.  
Lina shook her head. "Xelloss and Zelgadiss are so similar sometimes that it's almost scary," she thought. Not only was this cliff jump the same action Zelgadiss had performed when Lina first met him, but they both had that trait of overexerting themselves sometimes.  
The bushes near them moved, and Lina sprung to her feet, sword in hand, since Xelloss was still reeling from the pain. She had prepared herself for another werewolf, so she was shocked to find that the source of the movement was human.  
She was even more shocked to see who it was, for it was someone she knew well. "You…!"


	6. Prequel 05

It almost seemed like he was dying.

He was breathing heavily, perspiring greatly, and his skin was chilly to the touch. And his face was pale, too. His hand was clasped tightly to his heart—or rather, where his heart would be—and he appeared to be suffering from an unimaginable magnitude of pain. It was quite excruciating to just sit by and watch, but it was all she could do.

He had overexerted himself. It wasn't apparent by the attitude he had shown, but he must have known this would happen. Someone as calculating and meticulous as himself would not be careless enough to overlook such a vital factor and consequence. Lina felt somewhat guilty for not having prevented it or even imagined the possibility—it was her fault, after all, that he had to go through all that. If only she had been less selfish and called for his help sooner…he wouldn't be in this state now.

She pinched her leg once more to make sure there was feeling in it—and to her relief, she felt it. It was fully healed, thanks to her friend…

It was actually quite ironic that she would run into this specific comrade of hers in a place like this. Only a few days ago she had departed on a different path from that of her beloved. And here sat the root of that cause—the person who caused her enough grief to shatter her heart when she had almost finally mustered enough courage to attempt to attain true happiness…

"Sylphiel…why are you here?"

The purple-haired maiden, perched atop a nearby log where she sat patiently, twirling a lock of hair around her index finger and losing herself in the simple action alone, was snapped back to reality when her friend spoke to her. She blushed a little in embarrassment and began slowly, "I…um…actually…"

Lina groaned. The shrine maiden's intentions were far too transparent to be overlooked. "Let me guess—you came here because you heard that Gourry had passed through the town, right?"

Sylphiel averted her gaze in embarrassment and nodded slightly, twiddling her fingers like a little girl hopelessly in love. Then randomly she squealed softly and covered her face with her gloved hands, giggling into her palms. All the while Lina was watching her with a sweatdrop down the side of her face, finding that her guest hadn't changed much at all over the years. It was still uncanny how they ran into each other at a time like this—Lina hadn't seen Gourry since…

She felt something soft touch her hand in a soothing manner. Sylphiel had calmed down during the silence and was now watching Lina with a worried expression. She reached out and took Lina's hand with both of hers, drew in a deep breath, and began to speak. "Lina-san, it's all too apparent that something is gravely bothering you. I would ask what it is…but that would be intruding upon your privacy." She paused to make eye contact. "Although I may not be able to offer much help…I hope you won't hold anything back."

Lina wondered when things changed to this. Before, hiding her emotions was only a matter of thought, and it was masked almost effortlessly. Besides, she usually didn't have time to think about such things. But now…she had been read like an open book, and by a person who had only spent a week at most with her in total. Maybe it was because Sylphiel was a shrine maiden and therefore had a warm heart that opened up to everyone's feelings, and now that Lina's feelings were overflowing, she was able to look into the girl's heart. Or maybe it was because it had been so long since Lina had shown a true smile of happiness that her facial features must have been distorted somehow. In either case, there was no avoiding it anymore. In fact, there was one thing in particular she wanted to ask of the priestess…

"Sylphiel…if you could, give Gourry my apologies and thanks."

It didn't seem like too much of a shock to the maiden that they had split paths. In fact, it seemed as though she had been expecting it to happen. She nodded quietly and spoke in a whisper, "Of course I will, Lina-san."

Xelloss woke up a few hours later to find Lina in perfect condition. Apparently she had taken time on her own to find food and scout the area for werewolves—of which there were none within a dangerous range. The horizon was just beginning to turn pink and orange once more, and a new day was quickly approaching. Oddly enough, even though she had been up practically all night, Lina was bursting with energy now that she could stand on her own two feet. Xelloss was somewhat surprised at how quickly the girl recovered mentally. He had been aware of Sylphiel's presence during unconsciousness, so her physical recovery was expected.

He sat up and watched Lina as she busied herself dusting the dirt off of her cape with a long branch. She had been using it as a mat to sit on as she stayed by Xelloss's side. He chuckled a bit, thinking how much like a housewife she looked now. It was so overwhelmingly uncharacteristic of her to take on a chore like this of her own free will that he found entertainment in just watching her.

He glanced down to his hands, palms up, and curled and uncurled his hands. His powers were rapidly fading, and now in his fingertips, where there was once a tingling magical sensation, remained only numbness. Soon he would only have his physical strength left, and later, not even that.

Lina tied her cape back on and replaced her sword and accessories back where they belonged. When she was ready, she walked over and extended a hand to help Xelloss up. "We need to get going. You don't have much time left, right?"

He shook his head and took her hand without hesitation. "A few days at most, I suppose."

But they both knew that, even though a few days may seem like more than enough time, Xelloss's condition was continually worsening. The trip would not be as easy as it had been before. Last night's fever was just a preview of what was to come.

"Gourry-sama!"

Gourry turned around just in time to see a female figure launching herself at him and reacted accordingly. He caught her in his arms and held her gently as she embraced him blissfully. "Sylphiel! What are you doing here?"

"I heard that Gourry-sama had passed through just recently and came to see how you were doing," she replied without letting go. Her head was buried in his chest, the place where she felt that it belonged.

He stroked her hair a bit, but his happiness was not as enduring as hers was, for he had other responsibilities and obligations to tend to. "Sylphiel…have you seen Lina around here?"

She seemed a little hurt that he would bring Lina up in conversation so quickly, but it was to be expected since she had disappeared without a word. He had sworn upon his honor as a swordsman to be her guardian, after all. "Actually…yes I have."

He grabbed her shoulders and naively shook her a little violently. "You have? Where was she?"

Gourry's grip on her shoulders was tight and menacing. Sylphiel was caught by surprise, not that she could have been expecting him to react so violently to her response, and yelped lightly in pain. His coarse fingers were digging into her tender, soft skin, and she couldn't help resisting the tears that came to her eyes. "Gourry-sama…you're hurting me," she gasped.

The enraged, desperate Gourry was immediately replaced by a more docile Gourry. He was so full of despair that his own thoughts had been clouded, and he had made irrational judgements and acted on impulse. He fell back upon the dirt and sighed deeply, pressing his hands to his face in an extreme wave of anguish. He couldn't say anything—he felt that he was failing the world. First he had hurt Lina, and now Sylphiel, too…

Sylphiel could feel his pain overflowing from the rims of his heart and reached over to embrace him, taking a fraction of it off his shoulders and placing it upon her own. This was not an easy separation for either party, and now she could see solid proof of it. If only she could ease his suffering somehow…

"Gourry-sama…" she began, "Lina-san is all right on her own. Why don't we leave her be and live our own lives? No one will scold you for stopping here." She rubbed his back gently with her fingertips, hoping to coax him into doing her bidding.

But he shook his head. "You don't understand. I swore that I'd give her my protection."

"But she doesn't need it…" Sylphiel stated, not knowing how to beat around the bushes and give a sweeter version of that statement.

He shook his head. "That wasn't the sort of protection I meant. She needs company—my company. It's protection from loneliness that she needs…more than anything."

Lina fanned herself with her hand, thought it produced no real results. It was intolerably warm, probably because they were traveling in a valley. She had her pants and sleeves rolled up, and her gloves were pulled off and slung lazily over her shoulder. She looked a little goofy like that, like your average country girl ready to tend to the chores on the farm that day. If Xelloss had been in a better mood, he might have laughed at her image, but he only smiled in amusement and concentrated on scaling the heights.

If they kept at this pace they'd probably reach the Katart Mountain Valley by early sunset. But that was _if_ they kept at this pace. Xelloss was already beginning to fall behind.

Lina hung back to wait for him to catch up. Without saying a word, she took one of his arms and slung it around her shoulders to give him a crutch to lean on. He seemed somewhat astonished that she would be considerate enough to even think of taking an action, much less actually taking it without complaining or saying that she expected a favor in return. When she saw him staring at her fixedly, she blushed a little, made a face at him, and asked, "What?"

He shook his head and smiled. "It's nothing. I was just taking a chance to look at how great you look now that you're well and better again."

She really blushed this time and turned her head away. "He's just teasing me…" she reminded herself, but she couldn't help stuttering anyway because she suddenly felt conscious of him and uncomfortable being so close to him. "Haha…don't say things like…like that…" she replied.

But he was too occupied with his own thoughts to acknowledge what she was saying. He was feeling something strange—something he hadn't felt before. Usually, when he made a comment like that he'd be able to find some amusement and entertainment in saying it but…this time it was different. He felt as though he had honestly _meant _it, and the fact that she had brushed it off so quickly _irritated _him. In addition, the fact that he meant it alone irritated him because he couldn't quite understand what caused him to feel that way. Somehow, someday, Lina Inverse had suddenly meant something different to him. _But what?_

They walked in silence for a while, both of them immersed in their own set of thoughts, but the silence was broken when a roar of what almost seemed like thunder clashed overhead, and the scream of a hawk pierced through the skies. Lina had barely turned her head to see what was going on when Xelloss pushed her over with a very brief warning: "Move!"

He landed on top of her in the middle of a patch of tall grass that cushioned their fall. Only a second later, trees fell at random around them, one landing only a mere few feet from them. Dirt flew up and animals fled in terror, and all the while a harsh wind was passing through.

When things settled and dirt was no longer flying everywhere, Lina reached up to brush the remains off her face and opened her eyes. She was startled to find Xelloss staring down at her and she immediately stiffened. His eyes were open and staring intently at her, and she barely squeaked, "What is it?"

But that response was apparently all he was waiting for and he got up after that, shifting his gaze purposely away from hers. Dust and gravel fell off from his back but he made no move to show that it particularly bothered him at the moment. Instead, he stared upwards, austere and quiet as a large shadow passed over them.

This peculiar behavior brought Lina to attention, and she got up after him and brushed the clutter off her arms as she walked over to his side, wondering what it was that had him so mesmerized. She, too, glanced upwards to see what the source of the impact had been, but her reaction was not as calm and collected as his had been. Instead, she gasped and gaped at the spectacle in awe.

An overwhelmingly large fleet of ryuuzoku was flying overhead in attack formation. They were engaged in conflict with what seemed to be lower level mazoku, meant to stall and impede oncoming attacks just long enough for the main forces to take battle positions. The mass of mazoku were even more overwhelming, nearly covering a third of the sky from Lina's perspective. However great they were in number, they were still falling rapidly to the ryuuzoku squadron, and it was only a matter of time before they were doomed to nonexistence. It was an incredible battle between two large forces, and the mere force of the clashes sent shivers down Lina's spine.

"It's begun," Xelloss stated briefly. He watched the scene for a few seconds more before taking Lina's hand and pulling her staggering along. "We have to hurry."

Lina nearly tripped over a fallen tree as he pulled her along. Where this sudden burst of energy came from she had no clue, but it was apparent that he was exceedingly worried. "Why? What's up?"

He stopped to take a breath. Obviously the concern was a little more like panic, and it had caused him to fret a little too much again. Lina held him up as he caught his breath and wondered what was bothering him so much. He looked at her with tender eyes but pushed her away gently, rejecting her assistance. Now she was certain that something was very out of place, and she couldn't help but inquire more sternly, "What's wrong?"

He gripped his staff tightly and used it for support, though he was wobbling slightly. His shoulder had begun to swell in size and was now disgustingly big, and it looked so incredibly painful to have to endure. But he simply placed a hand over it, took a deep breath, and spoke.

"Those were Juu-ou-sama's hawks," he said. "The ryuuzokus' destination is Wolf Pack Island."

Lina only took a second to realize the severity of the situation now. His master was in danger, and her joker card was missing from the deck. The pressure on her shoulders suddenly intensified, and it was increasingly vital that Xelloss was to be brought to Lei Magnus with haste. She felt a surge of excitement and anxiety flow through her as she bit her lips and thought to herself, "Ok Lina, it's time to show the world once again what you can do—all or nothing."

Xelloss looked down from the sky to see Lina in her full glory, radiating that same intensity she always did when she was about to undergo a superhuman task. He stared at her in awe, for it was because of this spirit that he felt so drawn to her in the first place. It astounded him every time he witnessed it, and this time was no exception. Somehow it managed to wash away a good portion of his fears, and he realized that this girl suddenly became his hope. He took her extended hand and stepped up to her, not breaking his gaze away from her the entire time. She smiled, an emphasis on her strength and vigor, and reassured him that everything would be ok.

"Well we have no time to waste. Let's go!"


	7. Prequel 06

"It looks like we're in luck," Lina commented, studying the valley. "It's almost completely deserted."

They had just entered the border of the valley, finally encroaching upon enemy territory after only a few days of travel. It was certainly a breathtaking view; the expanse stretched far and wide beyond the sight of a human being and glorified all the aspects of beauty, especially since the sun was beginning to fall into the water on the horizon. Crystal clear water that reflected the shades of the sunset ran through the center of the valley, supported by the magical waterfall that came from the source they were looking for—Lei Magnus. Without the dragons that generally resided in it, the valley seemed like a cozy place to relax and spend time at—maybe even vacation at—but that was hardly the case; this place had been the site of a great war only a thousand years before. What remained was what had been left by the efforts of the great aqua dragon, one of the four scattered pieces of Ceipheed. And the golden and black dragons had sworn their lives to protect it.

Lina was about to advance forward when Xelloss extended an arm out to block her path. She glanced at him quizzically, and to answer her he gestured to a smaller path nearly hidden from view to the side. She acknowledged the suggestion, knowing it would be the better solution, and guided Xelloss through it.

The path extended through one of the rocky mountains, eventually turning into a mysterious, dank tunnel. On the walls all around were missing chunks of rock through which one could see outside, and all along the ground lay mixed pieces of clutter composed of both metal and wood. As Lina walked over them, she began to realize from the shapes that they were indeed the weapons of the dragons, and she even managed to pull a spear out of the stone wall. Running a hand over the coarse, corroded surface of the wood, she could feel the imprints of an enormous claw where it had once been handled, along with crusted, dried blood which fell off when disturbed.

Xelloss stood by her silently as she examined the decaying artifacts. There was no need for an explanation—she knew that the tunnel was built by the mazoku during the war in order to create openings for siege attacks and that the holes in the wall were formed by the onslaught of the golden dragons. The crusted blood was undeniably that of the mazoku—it didn't have the rough texture that defined the blood of the ryuuzoku. Instead, it was smooth and peeled away like paper-thin chippings of wood. The entire tunnel was caked in it.

He wondered what it was like to be able to come to this place and see what was left from a thousand years before with only the knowledge that comes from books which record history from a skewed point of view. Lina must have been curious to find the truth, for the descriptions in the books were far too vague and abstract to be trusted. He, on the other hand, could clearly remember escorting the smaller squadron of mazoku through this tunnel and even the faces of a couple ryuuzoku that he took down that day in the same spot he was standing in. It was almost haunting to have a billion memories for each and every centimeter of the planet, but that was the consequence of being a mazoku that would not age.

Satisfied with what she saw, Lina propped the spear head against the wall and dusted off her hands before continuing forth. Xelloss watched her curiously; her lack of reaction or particular interest intrigued him, but he decided not to ask. The sorceress probably had knowledge of subjects beyond his wildest dreams; she had come in direct contact with the capricious Lord of Nightmares herself, after all, and the original Clair Bible, too. She might have known the truth before already.

When they reached the end of the tunnel, they were behind the very foot of the waterfall. Lina poked her head out and glanced around, confused, then turned to Xelloss. "What now?"

He pointed downward with his index finger. "We swim. There's another tunnel deep down there that leads to a staircase we can use to climb to the lair where Rubyeye-sama—Lei Magnus-san—resides."

She nodded and, hoping the water wasn't unbearably cold, dived directly into the heart of the waterfall itself. The sheer force of the water falling on her put her off balance, but Xelloss managed to catch her before she flowed too far astray. She nodded her thanks to him, and they swam into the depths.

Lina couldn't see any particular tunnel opening as she was swimming. Also, something was amiss—the rocks seemed to be forming a blockade above them, preventing their escape from the way they had come. She was worried, but Xelloss's confident grip on her hand assured her that he knew what he was doing, so she trusted him. There wasn't much she could do right now, anyway.

When they finally reached the bottom of the river, they were completely enclosed in pitch black. Lina cast a small lighting spell to aid her sight, and looked around hurriedly for an exit.

But there was none. She double-checked and scanned the area once more in a panic, but the results did not change. As a move of desperation, she prepared a fireball spell (all she could muster in her current condition) to concentrate on a single point in the rock above her, but Xelloss stopped her.

She looked at him hopefully, thinking he had found a solution, but he was still scanning their surroundings slowly and carefully. However, she could not hold her breath for much longer and struggled to get out of his grip, though to no avail.

A few seconds later, Xelloss reached forward into the stone beside them and felt it, as though a secret switch were hidden among the rubble. His fingers finally seemed to land on a certain area in particular, and Lina watched in wonder as he effortlessly reached his hand through a small light portal.

He turned to her and gave her the usual smile as they were both pulled into the vortex.

They landed in a dry area, still dark but not completely void of light. Lina was coughing, sputtering water, and shivering violently since it was somewhat cold where they were. Xelloss rubbed her back gently as he studied their surroundings. "Not a bit different from what I remembered," he noted nonchalantly.

Lina sneezed and rubbed her arms. "So where do we go from here?" she asked, sniffling.

"Up this short flight of stairs," he replied, using his staff to provide some light.

She sneezed again and walked quickly up the stairs. "Maybe it'll get warmer," she thought.

He frowned, as though reading her thoughts. "It'll get colder as we get closer."

"Oh…" she muttered. "_Great_."

He frowned again as he watched her shiver from head to toe, dripping cold water as she dragged her feet along the ground and breathing clouds of steam from her bluish, chapped lips. When she sneezed again and cursed, he decided he couldn't just stand by and watch anymore.

Before Lina even had a clue of what was taking place, she had been swooped off her feet and plopped down between Xelloss's legs as they sat down on the stairs. He held her close and almost tried to forcibly stop her shivering, though logically it wouldn't be quite that simple.

Lina blushed brightly and exclaimed, "Xelloss?"

He smiled sweetly. "Yes, Lina-san?"

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded, trying to wriggle her way out of his embrace, though her efforts were only half-meant. "He's so _warm_!" she thought, and actually didn't mind it much at all. She tried to convince herself: "It's only natural that people would huddle to collect body heat." But she also didn't want to seem _too_ comfortable, either.

He pondered for a moment, then innocently declared, "Well I couldn't help but notice you _shivering uncontrollably_ back there, so since I was feeling generous I decided to offer you some warmth." As a joke, he added, "But of course, if you don't _want_ it…"

She clung onto his shirt, answering non-verbally. He laughed inwardly and shifted positions, making it more comfortable for the girl. Perhaps he was feeling bold—he put his arms fully around her body and held her closer, causing her to stiffen up a little, but she soon relaxed and focused on appreciating his warmth. Minor details were unnecessary, after all.

The silence was ringing in her ears, but Lina didn't feel up to conversing and consequently kept her mouth shut. She was starting to feel tired after having stayed up all night, and a small nap would be nice. Her head slowly drifted down, as a gesture by gravity or God, and rested against Xelloss in the hollow of his neck, just below his chin. He blinked a couple times, then a few more times, then turned his head upward and wondered, "Shabranigdu-sama, what are you trying to tell me?"

But for some reason he couldn't keep the joking pretense up for very long, and swiftly fell into a more somber disposition. It still baffled him how _strange_ being this close to Lina Inverse could make him feel. But it wasn't a negative feeling; no. But it wasn't a positive feeling, either.

It was infinitely ironic how their thoughts coincided.

"So this is how it feels to be embraced without emotion," Lina thought.

"So this is how it feels to embrace someone with emotion," Xelloss thought.

"It's not that different…" Lina concluded, letting sleep overcome her. She had stopped shivering and sneezing a while ago, and it was so incredibly comfortable against Xelloss that she couldn't resist the urge to rest her eyes just for a small while. Xelloss, on the other hand, found a tiny bit of difficulty because she had fallen asleep. He had been expecting to rest for only a few minutes—just until she felt better—then they would resume their journey.

"Oya oya," he sighed. It couldn't be avoided; she must have been exhausted after expending all her energy throughout the night. It's not like it was a big deal either—he'd just be getting his powers back sooner or later, depending on the circumstances. And it's not like he really _minded_.

He smiled amusedly. "I guess I'm stuck here until the little fire-breathing walking dragon of destruction wakes up," he remarked.

_You will be like us soon._

What?

_I can see it._

Who is it?

_Your future…will be very similar to mine._

Lina blinked her eyes open. She was still in the same dark cave that she had fallen asleep in. It was a strange dream—nothing remarkable, just two humanlike figures off in the distance talking to her. One was a female figure with wings; the other a man with an unseemly smile. She shivered slightly. Something about the man was unsettling, but she couldn't place her finger on exactly what it was. And they were saying something about how their futures were similar? "Probably just a load of crap," Lina thought to herself.

"You're awake?"

She popped her head up in surprise and hit something, hard. Cursing softly, she rubbed her head and looked up to see what it was she bumped into.

Xelloss leaned back a little, rubbing the lower part of his left cheek. In a hurt voice, he whimpered, "You didn't have to go and do that, now."

Lina flushed. "Oh right. I fell asleep against Xelloss…" She felt a little embarrassed the idea, but it was already over and done with so it would be worthless to worry oneself over it now.

She stood up and felt her clothes—dry. Breathing a sigh of relief, she turned to Xelloss once more for guidance. But what she found was not merely a gesture or signal where to go. Instead, he held a hand out to her, expecting her to take it.

Sensing hesitation, he explained, "The pathway is slippery and likely to fall apart."

"Oh," she responded and took his hand timidly. He almost seemed like Gourry in that sense—always watching out for her safety…

She shook her head. "Now's not the time to be thinking about Gourry…" she told herself mentally, though she was already feeling sadness from the thought alone. Xelloss could feel her sadness overflowing towards him, and though as a mazoku he should have fed on those feelings, instead he left them alone.

A couple times the gravel gave way and Lina stumbled forward into Xelloss's arms, but aside from that the trek was uneventful and quiet. The air was still chilly and mysterious, but it was manageable now that they were both dry. Not too long afterwards, they finally reached the icy area where Lei Magnus resided. Lina took a step forward and immediately slipped, but Xelloss caught her before she hit the ground. "Thank you," she muttered sheepishly.

He was focused on other things at hand, however. Finding Lei Magnus in this ice could take days if you had no idea what was going on, but thankfully as a mazoku of higher office he knew just how to go about getting through this icy maze. Now it was a matter of finding the first step.

Lina walked forward more carefully this time and studied the structure of the ice. After a few moments, she brought a finger up and pointed at an angle towards the right. "My intuition tells me it's this way."

Xelloss sweatdropped. "My my, aren't we being impatient?" he said quietly, but her intuition never failed, and this time was no exception. The direction she decided on turned out to be, in fact, the _correct_ direction he had been looking for. He remarked with a grin, "She never fails to astound me."

The rest of the walk was easy for Xelloss to map out. Just a myriad of casual turns ultimately leading to a giant structure of ice, much like the others, except brighter and more crystalline. Lei Magnus stood petrified deep within the ice—if a group of people equipped with picks and shovels dug at him for days on end they would still be unable to reach him. But even through this thick barrier of ice one could clearly see the agony on his face, pain he has suffered for a thousand years, for he hasn't died; no, he has simply been put into a sleepless sleep, preserved by the magic ice that surrounds him. And forever he would remain like this, for it was impossible for anyone to free him from this prison. Such was the punishment decided for him by the Great God himself.

Lina inched forward slowly, but she soon realized that Xelloss had nailed his feet down to the ground where he stood, and later, sat. Suspicious of traps or some kind of noxious fumes or poisonous liquids, she turned to inquire before advancing any further. "What's wrong?"

He blinked naively, then realization dawned upon his facial features. "Oh, I suppose they didn't mention this in the books. The ice around him is particularly deadly to both ryuuzoku and mazoku—thus no one has approached it—but humans may touch it without being harmed," he explained.

Lina wasn't particularly happy being stuck with the grunge work, and she put her hands on her hips to display her dissatisfaction with the circumstances. "So what do I do?" she asked.

"Well the basic concept is this: the essence is enough to decimate any part of a ryuuzoku, so essentially it should be enough to destroy the dragon's blood as well. That is of course, in theory…"

But there was something still left unexplained. "Doesn't that mean it has to touch you to get to the dragon's blood?"

He smiled. "Well in the worst case scenario I'd lose an arm, but if it's Lina-san then I shouldn't have anything to worry about."

That was a bad joke, and Lina didn't appreciate it. She bopped him once on the head before reaching over and breaking off a small chunk of crystal that should be enough to suffice for their purposes, but when she approached Xelloss's shoulder to begin the operation, she realized it wouldn't be as easy as she thought. Any visible parts of the hole had been swollen shut, so there was no ideal way of getting to the embedded blood.

"Cut it open."

"What!" Lina exclaimed.

"It'll heal afterwards. Just cut it open."

Lina wasn't particularly fond of the idea—she would always feel ill from watching soldiers slice into their own flesh to pull out an arrowhead, and this seemed like the same basic concept. But Xelloss was depending on her, so there was no backing out.

"Thank god I have most of my powers back now," she thought mentally. She might not be able to pull off a dragon slave or something of the sort yet, but she could definitely take on this task. "Elmekia Lance!" She focused all the power she conjured up to a pinpoint in the palm of her hand, casting the spell with a slight variation. A small needle of light appeared in her hand, and she picked it up between her index finger and thumb, inspecting the product for discrepancies with the keenness of a merchant.

Xelloss showed no visible signs of discomfort as Lina used the needle to carve a hole into his skin, but the steam coming from the decayed skin proved otherwise. It was interesting to look at, though; through this hole in Xelloss's body one could witness the endless maze which is the astral plane. And in the middle of this endlessness was a small blob of red liquid that was the dragon's blood they were looking for. Doing this kind of thing with hands would be incredibly hazardous due to the imprecision, so Lina had to resort to other, wiser methods.

Tossing the crystal shard into the air, Lina threw her cape back as she extended her arms away from her sides. She focused on precision with this particular spell and stared fiercely at the target without blinking. Slowly, she let the words escape her mouth – "Ray…wing…!"

As the crystal fell, it got sucked into the sharp wind and flew swiftly towards its target in a piercing flash, entering the liquid effortlessly and vaporizing it on impact. The swelling immediately receded and the hole closed up, leaving no trace of the wound that had been there only a few seconds before. Lina stepped back with a small "Phew!" and wiped the tiny beads of sweat off her brow. It was finally done.

But, contrary to her expectations, Xelloss turned around slowly with—though it was only a glance—a truly heartbroken look on his face. He vanished from her field of vision, and she felt warmth press up against her back and wrap around her waist. Stunned beyond the point of reaction, she stood cluelessly as he embraced her from behind.

"I _beseech_ you; I wish only to stay by your side as I am," he began, pressing his face into the crimson hair that covered the small, delicate nape of her neck. In a doleful, pensive voice he whispered, "…But I am afraid it is not possible. Forgive me, Lina-san…"

The warmth that was Xelloss instantly left her back, and when she turned around, he was gone. He had successfully stricken a chord in her heart, but it confused her—Xelloss had never spoken that way before. What did he expect her to make of this melancholy mess? Somehow, deep down inside of her heart, she believed that it wasn't a spoof; that it wasn't a simple ploy to deceive her as he always did. But what the hell—where did all of this come from so suddenly?

And more importantly, where had he gone?


	8. Prequel 07

Lina stood approximately five inches from certain peril.

She had been wandering aimlessly, following her intuition through the icy maze Xelloss had guided her through before. Those few casual turns turned into a thousand mind-boggling curves as she tried to make her way backwards, and in the end she didn't end up where she had begun at all. Instead, she winded up where the heart of the river poured out into the sky, and she took one look down the steep mountainside and decided she'd have to be out of her mind first before she would be jumping. On the other hand, if she flew out now, not only would she attract the attention of _every_ ryuuzoku in the area (of which there were very, very many), but she would also undoubtedly grab the attention of every _mazoku_ in the area as well. And what she needed least right now was the headache-inducing beating of wings as a million—or more—creatures chased after her through the air, though that wasn't much different from the usual, anyhow.

"Damn that Xelloss," she cursed mentally, stomping her foot on the ground in frustration. "The least he could have done was escorted me back out."

But it was hard for her to stay angry at him, and soon she found herself lost in thought again as her arms hung limp at the sides of her body and she stared down the waterfall. The breeze was so tranquil; the scenery was just as jaw-dropping as it had been when they had arrived, except now the moon illuminated the waters and made the rocks shine like jewels rather than staining it the colors of the sunset. It was particularly bright that night; Lina could see very clearly the terrain of the mountains, as well as the shadows that crept along the mountain paths…

A shrill howl pierced through the air, followed by a tirade of others. Werewolves once again stole out of their human shells and preyed upon the land as they desired. The sheer number of them dancing around the area was almost sickening. It almost seemed as though the valley of dragons had become the valley of werewolves over the passage of time, and Lina had no intention of becoming scraps for the children. It couldn't be helped—she would have to fly her way out of here if she didn't want to be eaten by ravenous werewolves. Risk it and die trying—that was her motto for death.

She whirled around and took ten large steps back into the cave, did a couple stretching exercises, then followed up with a couple breathing exercises. When she was done, she checked the wind speed by sticking a finger up in the air—just right—and then made a mad dash for the opening and leapt out into the night.

"Geronimoooo!"

"I hope you have not been waiting long, Juu-ou-sama."

Xelloss appeared by his master's side, humbled down to his knees. Beastmaster was clad in her usual battle armor and took the appearance of a large wolf, the one she would frequently choose for battle due to its advantageous speed. In her hands were her specialty shield and sword, indestructible unless attacked by a powerful force such as that of Ceipheed. She wiped the sweat off her brow and grinned maliciously, licking the dragon's blood off of the blade of her sword as it dripped. Her personality now was completely different from the one she usually portrayed—calm and collected. Her inner beast (no pun intended) had been released from its chains.

"You've only missed a small part of the fun," she told him, casting her deep golden eyes down at her subordinate. "Did you coerce Lina Inverse into aiding us?"

Xelloss shook his head. "She refused my offer, as expected."

"That is too bad, it would have made things far more interesting," Zelas replied, calling back a part of her army of hawks. When they had retreated far enough, she reached over and petted Xelloss on the head. "It's your turn, my dear."

"Yes, Juu-ou-sama."

Lina instantly regretted her decision as she came face to face with the surface of the water.

She had planned on casting a levitation spell just seconds before hitting the water, but something fired off wrong and she, well, fell.

Breaking the surface of the water, she cursed the gods and properly cast a levitation spell this time, lifting her out of the cold water. "Great, I'm wet again," she muttered, and cursed the gods again. But as she rose, she did not notice the pair of gleaming blood-red eyes that stood behind her…

Her back nearly broke into two as an enormous white werewolf bounded from the path she had taken with Xelloss earlier and barreled right into her, nearly knocking the wind out of her as it made impact. She reacted quickly and shot a fireball into its eyes, forcing it to release its hold on her and leap back onto the mountainside as she fell once again into the water. Werewolves weren't too fond of water, and so it most likely wouldn't follow her.

But she was wrong. The werewolf was tailing her from the mountainside, sometimes even reaching out to try and slash her with its claws. She swam swiftly through the cold waters, unable to fly out of it because then the wolf could easily make another attempt at her life. Swimming to the other end of the valley was out of the question—it was too far and she would drown from exhaustion. And if she swam out to the middle first before casting a levitation spell, that would just put her in a worse predicament when she tried to reach land again because she would be worn out from spell casting and wouldn't be able to fight the congregation of werewolves waiting to steal some of her flesh.

"I guess the only choice is to kill this thing," she thought, watching the white werewolf as it made fairly accurate swipes at her. She pulled the short sword from its sheath and raised it above the water. "Good thing Zel taught me this one… Astral vine!"

Black lightning struck the iron, turning it a deep crimson color. Lina shifted the position of her hand on the hilt of her sword for optimal aerial purposes and threw it full force at the unsuspecting werewolf, striking it in between the eyes. It howled in pain as lightning coursed through its body and its legs gave way as it fell on its back, head and neck in a distorted position. The creature had died.

Lina leapt onto the path the werewolf had been trailing her on with a simple ray wing spell and walked through the pool of blood to pull her sword from where it was embedded. It was soaked in blood which she quickly wiped off with her cape, and she returned the sword back to where it belonged. She dusted off her hands and checked her handiwork with a smile. "Guess I owe Zel one," she mused.

But it was no time to be slacking off, as the follow up of howls reminded her. She was still in very grave danger, and she needed to find a way back down to the village soon. These werewolves would tail her endlessly otherwise.

And with that, she began running.

The clash of two tremendous powers was quite a sight indeed.

Master and subordinate—queen and joker—were effortlessly taking down the fleet of ryuuzoku chunk by chunk, piece by piece. Giant crescents of killer power wafted through the air from their hands and gave no mercy to chosen victims. If gazed at from afar, one could easily mistake these for the similar-looking northern lights as they meshed together and reflected all the colors of the light, but the light was bathed in streams of blood, and even the wondrous light could not conceal the horrendous massacre taking place. Showers of dragon's blood fell upon those who desired it, and voracious hawks tore away at the diced flesh, devouring the dead bodies of the ryuuzoku's fallen comrades. Xelloss and the Greater Beast were bathed in the blood they spilled, and both indulged themselves in the experience.

Xelloss recognized a familiar face among the crowd and grinned as she approached. He closed the distance between them and met with her scouring face with a delight that infinitely sickened her.

"Long time no see," he jeered joyfully, blocking her attack and landing on the spear that had been so harshly thrust at him, mocking her.

"Damn you," Fayle cursed, swiping at him with her right claw. He dodged it effortlessly and caught her neck with his staff, choking her and threatening to kill. She gasped and cast a cold glare at him, then shouted, "A mazoku such as yourself would never understand the concept of love!" She gasped for another breath and then snapped in a scathing voice, "I've seen the way you look at her. Lina Inverse is the source of your weakness, isn't she?"

He frowned. "I grow sick of your rambling, you pitiful creature. But if I kill you now it wouldn't be fun, so I'll just disable you so you can watch as your squadron falls prey to my master's pets," he remarked gleefully before severing her wings and critically damaging her arms and legs with one swift blow. She choked on her own blood as it was coughed up from her throat, and she was unable to even utter a single cry of agony as she fell from the sky. A hush went through the crowd of ryuuzoku, followed by a roar of rage as they all made one last great charge.

Xelloss bowed to his master playfully. "Please, allow me, Juu-ou-sama."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Do what you want."

He chuckled and turned to the oncoming wave of ryuuzoku. Opening his eyes to lace his dialogue and make his statement more menacing, he said in a low murmur, "Keep this in mind: without your great dragon god to aid you, you're little more than yesterday's trash." He soared through the crowd, leaving behind two thin beams of light that lingered for a second, then exploded along with each and every dragon left in the sky. Pieces of their bodies fell through the sky and landed on the earth below them, tarnishing the forest's unsoiled beauty. Xelloss turned to look at his handiwork and smiled in overweening satisfaction. He lifted his hand in gesture as he made one last cocky remark.

"You never stood a chance."

Lina increased the speed at which she was running, realizing she was being tailed by a somewhat large pack of werewolves. More than likely, the white werewolf she had killed held some kind of importance within the clan, and now its members were hunting her down for revenge.

She spun around reflexively with her sword out as a werewolf jumped forward to attack her, nailing it in the neck and sending its head flying out into the water. She grimaced at the grotesque display and fought the urge to throw up, holding her sword out to her side with one hand as she covered her mouth with the other. Beheading things wasn't exactly something she was particularly fond of doing, and she couldn't help but feel nauseous after seeing all the blood spurt into the air as the head went flying off the creature's shoulders. In addition, the air was tinted with the stench of the animal—worse than the scent of wet dog. She felt dizzy just thinking about it.

Up ahead she could jump down to a lower path and hope that the werewolves wouldn't follow her, so when the time came she leapt forward at a diagonal, reducing the speed of her fall by positioning her feet on the rocky cliff side and sliding down it. In the end, though, she still fell on her butt as she hit the lower ledge, and rubbed it as she continued running.

The antics successfully threw the werewolves off for a moment, but they were shortly on her tail once again. She cursed her luck and shot a couple fireballs towards the cliff above them to hopefully stall them by placing objects in their path, but they climbed over it with ease and continued pursuit. She was nearing an opening in the border of the Katart Mountains, and there was no way she'd allow herself to get caught now that she was so close. Summoning the remnants of her energy, she dashed for the exit, hoping to find a place where she could rest momentarily soon.

But her hopes were dashed as a gigantic white werewolf appeared before her again. The blood dripping from a scar on its forehead indicated that it was the same werewolf she had "killed" earlier, and for some reason it managed to stand on its legs once more. Intense fury was written all over the creature's face, and Lina could clearly see the amount of hatred it harbored for her and how much it wanted to taste her flesh. She came to a screeching halt and looked around frantically for a way out, but the best option would be to try and make it past the werewolf that stood before her. Though with its amazing agility, there was no chance she'd be able to squeeze by it without getting caught between its enormous claws.

So there was only one way out: up.

She quickly cast a ray wing spell and flew up towards the sky, but her reaction was just a millisecond too slow, for the white werewolf still managed to grab her leg as she was soaring away. It flung her thin body against the rocky floor and made ready to pounce its victim. Lina, frightened and battered, could only watch helplessly as her attacker prepared the final blow.

But just as everything seemed hopeless, a ray of light shone through as a familiar voice was heard: "Linaaaaa!" Her eyes widened in pleasant surprise and both hands moved towards her mouth in shock as a familiar figure slashed through the werewolf from behind. _It can't be…!_

"Gourry!" she exclaimed, feeling warm tears come to her eyes. It really was him—no one else smiled as sweetly as he did.

"Was I late?" he asked, extending a hand out to help her up. She took it enthusiastically and threw herself into his arms, burying her crying face into his chest as she pulled on his shirt. Her muscles tightened and her body trembled from the tremendous effort it required to keep from breaking down completely, but Gourry just smiled and held her gently, patting and stroking her red hair. After a few seconds, he said, "We need to go. There are still more wolves in the area."

She nodded into his chest and hung her head down low as Gourry led her out of the valley. Her overflowing joy was expressed in the tears that came from her eyes, and she thanked god for bringing her back to his side.

And this time it would take more than words to make her release this gentle hand.

Xelloss walked up to Fayle's broken body and crouched down by her head, wrapping his arms around his knees and placing his chin on the soft spot between his legs playfully like a child. It would almost seem innocent and cute if the words coming from his mouth weren't so bitter and foul. "Are you in pain?" he asked cheerfully.

The golden dragon did not open her eyes. Her breathing was jagged and raspy, thick with blood; one could clearly hear that something was jarring her passage of air. She kept silent and refused to reply, but Xelloss wasn't about to let her go so easily. He took his staff and pressed the sharp end forcefully against one of her open wounds, causing vast amounts of pain to go searing throughout her body. She cried out in pain, starting out as a roar and then ending as a dull whirr as it echoed off into the night. Xelloss grinned and asked again, "Are you in pain?"

Fayle managed to open one eye to look at him, though the eye itself was drenched in blood and she was apparently blind. She stared at him in silence for a moment, and then breathed, "My pain wanes in comparison to your own."

He was taken aback by her statement and opened his eyes in annoyance. It was highly unusual for Xelloss to be ticked off by anything, but this dragon was beginning to succeed in that department. Leaning in closer, he inquired, "…What do you mean by that."

But she only formed the words "Because you see…you see…" on her lips over and over again. This reaction puzzled Xelloss, and he assumed that the dragon had finally begun to breathe her last when a familiar scream pierced through the air.

He stood up quickly to see where it had come from and noticed Lina at the edge of the Katart Mountain Valley, cornered by numerous werewolves; she had been knocked aside by the white one and was only seconds from becoming the pack's midnight snack. Xelloss was in the middle of teleporting when he witnessed another male figure come to her rescue, and he was stunned stiff to see her embrace him with such fervor. But his shocked expression was soon replaced by a regretful smile, and he slapped a hand to his face as he laughed at the irony of the situation. "Of course, of course…Gourry-san completely slipped my mind…" he remarked wryly, laughing a little more. "That bastard guardian…"

A smirk crept upon Fayle's face as she watched the situation unravel. "Because you see…you have already lost. She would never turn to a mazoku such as yourself, one who cannot even grasp the concept of love…"

In a burst of agitation and frustration together, Xelloss used the orb end of his staff to smash her face into pieces. More dragon's blood found its way onto his clothes, soaking it more thoroughly a dark shade of crimson, and suddenly he yearned for the rain to fall and wash away his sins. He suddenly found the blood entirely revolting, and his body trembled in a failed attempt to get out of contact with the moist cloth. He began to lose mental stability, and he fell to his knees as his hands pressed up on the sides of his head and he bent forward, crying for "No more…no more…"

But he had already taken too many doses of the drug, and he was thoroughly addicted to it now. He couldn't stand being separated from her. He felt destroyed from the inside out just knowing that what certainly belonged to him could never be his. And he felt so hopeless.

But to his relief, his master appeared to comfort and collect him. She lifted his head and pressed it to her bosom, embracing her minion like a small child, and gently asked, "What is the matter, Xelloss?"

He didn't respond, so she continued, "Didn't we already discuss this long, long ago?" She cupped his face with her long, slender fingers and whispered delicately into his ear in a fashion that was known to perk his attention, "What exists in this world already belongs to us. It is only a matter of recovering what is rightfully yours."

His normal facial expression returned with that statement, and he stared into his master's eyes as she studied him for any lingering feelings of despair. Satisfied with what she saw, she stroked his blood-stained hair and brushed a couple wet strands away from his face. "I'll be waiting for you back home."

After she left, Xelloss stood up and slowly glanced at where Lina had been standing just moments ago. With firm resolution, he declared, "It's not over, for I will return to your side soon enough to reclaim what is rightfully mine." He turned and slothfully dragged himself away, fading into the dark shadow of a nearby tree.

"Definitely…I will have it."

Lina walked beside Gourry, leaning against him with his arm lazily slung over her shoulders. Her cheeks were slightly rosy as they strode and conversed. "How did you know where I was?" she asked.

"Just a feeling, I guess," he replied, though it was the truth. The two were linked by a "feeling", and he had used that to track down her location.

"I see…" she whispered, content with his answer. "…What happened to Sylphiel?"

"Oh, she had to leave to care for the kids."

Lina's chest tightened at the tender subject. She was reluctant to ask, but it was something she had to know: "Your kids?"

He glanced down at her, and she looked up at him, but he appeared to have no clue what she was talking about. "I don't have kids," he stated directly.

"Then…"

"They are the orphans of old Sairaag," he explained, "when it was burned down the first time."

It suddenly made sense, and Lina blushed in embarrassment for what she had assumed earlier. "Oh," she stated subtly, and looked down again. She was relieved to know that it had all just been false guesses on her part, but there was still _one_ thing she truly needed to know.

Breathing in deeply, she forced herself to ask, "Why did you save me?"

"Because I'm your guardian," he responded without thinking. Lina sighed—that part hadn't changed, but at least she was back where she began. It could have been worse—Gourry could have not forgiven her for her actions and let the circumstances take their toll on their relationship, but he hadn't, and she was grateful for that.

She gazed away from Gourry at the moon that hung in the night sky. The moon's light illuminated the tears brimming in her eyes and her pink lips that curled up into a tiny smile. "I guess I'll just have to be patient and see what happens," she thought morosely. To the moon, she requested, "Will you give me a glimpse of what I have ahead of me?"

Chills ran throughout her body as the haunting face from her dreams flashed through her mind once more, and her smile immediately faded. Suddenly, she felt as though a bad omen had fallen into her lap, and she wasn't quite so sure she wanted to come face-to-face with the future anymore. She also wondered if Xelloss would stumble upon her path once again, and if she could have her questions for him answered. _Unlikely_, she thought, remembering his fondness for secrecy.

But only time will tell.


	9. Chapter 01

_

* * *

The Slayers : Legacy of Darkness_

_Chapter 01_

* * *

"Jellyfish brains! How many times do I have to explain?!" 

Zelgadiss sighed. "Oi Lina, if we don't hurry we won't make it to town before sunset." These daily stops they had were slowing them down tremendously. It always started with Gourry asking some question about why or where they were going. Lina would then get pissed off and start beating him.

"...and I already told you three times!" Lina shouted, pulling some sort of odd wrestling move on him. A tiny pearly-white fang showed at the corner of her mouth as she continued to strangle him.

"ow...Lina let go...ow..." Gourry cried between chokes. He tried to call Zelgadiss and Ameria for help, but they ignored him to stay out of the fight. Ameria was busy giving the horses water while Zelgadiss began calculating the distance left before they reached town.

"So do you remember now...?" Lina asked with a ferocious gleam in her eyes that made Gourry's hair stand on end. Before he could reply, however, Xelloss appeared before them with an amused look on his face.

"Yare, yare. Fancy running into you all here!" he said, his usual cheerful expression on his face. The reaction he got from the others was rather peculiar, however. Lina blinked, Gourry silently pleaded him for help, Ameria sneezed, and Zelgadiss gave him the side glare. Xelloss seemed confused. "What's the matter?"

Lina dropped Gourry and turned around, keeping her gaze connected with Xelloss's until the last moment when she said, "Nothing." She mounted her horse and directed it back to the trail.

The others exchanged odd looks, then mounted their own horses and followed behind Lina, leaving Xelloss behind. He had a quizzical look on his face, then shrugged it off and phased out.

"Lina-san! Wait for us!" Ameria shouted, trying to hurry her horse. When they finally caught up to her, Ameria asked, "Lina-san, what was that for?"

Lina sighed, dropping her head slightly. "Ameria... Xelloss means nothing but trouble for us. I think we should avoid him if we can." Yes, that mazoku meant nothing but trouble for them. In fact, they were probably getting mixed up in another plot as they rode towards Miran, a town in the outer continent. They had heard of an artifact buried deep within a tomb there that would supposedly grant one's true desire. Zelgadiss had thought he could cure his body with it. Of course, the entire legend was simply a rumor, so they had to be prepared to find something else. Xelloss's appearance, though, made its existence seem entirely untrue.

Much to Lina's annoyance, Xelloss phased in just beside her. She glanced at him through the corner of her eye and asked, "Why are you here?"

He smiled, raising a finger and using his trademark phrase - Sore wa himitsu desu. Lina groaned and sped up her horse a bit, already disliking the priest's presence. He chuckled lightly, then levitated above the ground to match her speed. Once he was in talking distance with her again, he told her, "Lina-san, the townsfolk don't take too lightly to sorcerers."

She blinked in surprise, then turned to him and asked, "How come? Do they think of magic as witchcraft too?" That was the thing about the outer continent. No one had ever seen magic in the shape Lina and co. were using. Most of the cities they had stumbled by so far thought of it as "witchcraft" or "demon's magic", which wasn't really far from the truth, though.

Xelloss broke eye contact with her, looking around with a thoughtful expression on his face. He had a finger pressed to his bottom lip as he seemed to ponder out loud. "Well I suppose it's something along those lines, though it may have something to do with that ancient artifact you all have been searching for..."

Lina sighed. Of course something like this would come up. She glanced back towards the others to find them watching her in anticipation. She sighed again, then turned back to Xelloss. He seemed to be looking at something interesting before them. She followed his gaze and found that a huge, dense forest stood between them and Miran. At first, she simply thought they could fly over it, but then she remembered what Xelloss said and muttered something.

Lina slowed her horse down to let the others catch up to her. She had to enlighten them on the situation before someone let something loose. She gave Xelloss a quick look that read, "Stop flying and start walking," before speaking.

"Ok here's the deal: From what Xelloss has told me, the people in Miran don't take kindly to sorcery, which would mean we have to dress differently and keep from using our magic." She saw Zelgadiss and Ameria nod, but Gourry still had a questionable look on his face. Though before he could say anything, Lina continued, "We'll have to spend the night in the forest to make preparations. I'll take the first watch."

After saying goodbye to their horses, the gang headed into the forest to find a secluded area where they could rest. When they were inside, however, they realized it would be fairly easy to get lost if they were careless. Much to Zelgadiss's dislike, they had to rely on Xelloss's natural sense of direction. Though, to make sure the mazoku priest wasn't leading them in circles, Zelgadiss would make marks with his sword in a tree here and there.

"Well this looks like a decent place to set up camp," Xelloss finally commented, gesturing at the area before them. It was just barely spacey enough for them to pitch a couple of tents and a campfire in, but one could see the sky from there, and that was more important at the time.

Zelgadiss and Ameria set up camp while Gourry went to get them some firewood. Lina was about to scout the area when she happened to notice Xelloss sitting up in a tree. "Hey Xelloss, shouldn't you be helping out too?" she called up to him in a slightly irritated voice.

He grinned and replied, "But I am Lina-san! I'm watching out for any disturbances!" He gave her a wink and waved at her in a carefree type way.

She glared at him, but turned back to camp feeling grateful, for he had just relieved her of one of her duties. She then picked up a stick and went to search for the nearest river or pond for water, and possibly, dinner.

About an hour later, when the sun began to set, everyone arrived back at the campsite: Lina with a horde of fish, Gourry with a pile of firewood, and Ameria and Zelgadiss. They started a fire (having made sure no one was around to see the tiny fireball), and began their dinner. Xelloss watched them from his spot up in the tree, looking amused when Lina and Gourry fought over the larger fish. He laid his staff across his lap and looked up at the stars. It was going to be an interesting trip with them, or so he thought.

Everyone but Lina had already quietly retreated to his or her tents. She sat down on a log by the fire, gazing into its flame deep in thought. Why were the people of Miran, and most of the outer continent for that matter, so against sorcerers? What exactly was this "lost artifact"? Whose tomb was it buried in? These were all questions that had been plaguing Lina's mind, but the question whose answer she most wanted to know was why Xelloss had suddenly appeared. What kind of orders had he received from the Beast King this time?

As if on cue, something dropped beside her, startling her out of her thoughts. She looked up and saw Xelloss with a grin on his face, waving at her to come up and join him. After a moment's hesitation, Lina cast a soft raywing spell and lifted herself off the ground.

Xelloss suddenly felt lightheaded as he watched her fly up to him. The campfire behind her illuminated her body, forming a silhouette of something close to an angel. When she was eye level with him, he motioned for her to sit against the tree trunk beside him. Lina on the other hand, had a different opinion on that idea and settled for a branch across from him.

After a brief moment of silence, Lina asked, "Well? What did you want to say?"

"Oh Lina-san, I just wanted to spend some time alone with you, that's all!" he replied with a soft, fake pout. He couldn't help but chuckle when Lina rolled her eyes in response. Lifting a finger, he said playfully, "Now where would the fun be in telling you right away?"

Typical Xelloss. She should have been expecting this. Instead, she asked, "So why are you here?" though she highly doubted he would give her a straightforward answer. Trying to pry answers out of the Trickster Priest was about as easy as prying answers out of a brick wall, near impossible.

However, much to her astonishment, he grinned and told her, "I'll tell you this, there was an unknown mazoku sensed in this area, a mazoku of enormous power. I was sent here to find out what it was."

Lina blinked, trying to accept the fact that Xelloss had actually told her something for once, though if he was actually warning her to be prepared or not, she couldn't tell. Though, if it was something that required Xelloss himself to come out here...it had to be something to be reckoned with or avoided, whichever would happen. She recollected herself from the minor shock, then asked, "So why did you come to us?"

"Oh..." he paused to think of an answer, but covered it up with, "well I just happened to run into you all and decided to say hi..."

She snorted, obviously not buying any of it. "Don't try to work your way around it. Tell me now, or do I have to force it out of you..."

He shook his head slowly, then opened his amethyst eyes and looked up at the sky. He had his elbow resting on his raised knee and was leaning against the bark of the tree casually. "I just didn't want to see you all do something stupid and get yourselves killed...that's all," he answered softly.

Her eyes narrowed slightly. It was a little hard to believe someone like him would be worried about her. "Why do you care?"

His eyes glanced over at the full moon, which happened to be a little to the right of where he had been staring. "Oh you know...after all the things we've been through..."

She interrupted him. "Just answer the question."

He still had his gaze on the full moon. The moonlight was soft that night, and he wondered how something so peaceful could light up a world full of chaos like this. He whispered softly so as to make sure no one but Lina would hear, "I believe you already know the answer to that, Lina-san."

She had a guess at what it might have been, but that couldn't have been it. Instead, she replied, "Well since my sister and your master are friends, maybe..."

Xelloss scoffed, then looked her straight in the eyes, causing Lina to instantly stiffen up. Without thinking, he blurted out, "No, silly. It's because I love you."

...You WHAT?! - Was what Lina wanted to say, but she was too stunned at the moment to speak. She saw him flinch in realization and look down from her. Was he speaking the truth? Or was this another one of his games? He certainly looked sincere enough, but this was Xelloss... trickery and manipulation were daily events in his life. Most likely this was another one of his lies.

Lina pretended to laugh, saying that he must be joking; that mazoku couldn't love. He bit his lip, fighting back tears that were threatening to fall. He clutched his staff tightly; his hands forming fists of anger as he silently scolded himself for being so naive. He looked up at her, eyes glistening from pain and voice wavering in hurt as he spoke, "I meant it. I honestly love you, Lina Inverse."

She stopped laughing and stared at him in shock. Never had she expected to hear his voice so strained. At first, disbelief clouded her mind as she watched him, but the truth finally swam in when she saw tears slide down his cheeks. Her throat tightened, her heart stopped beating for a moment, and suddenly she wished she hadn't eaten so much. One thought coursed through her mind, and she barely whispered, "Oh dear Suifeed..."

Xelloss chuckled slightly, but it was heartless and made Lina feel sicker. "I must've been delusional, actually thinking you might have felt something." He shook his head slowly, still not looking at her. "And I was once human... I remember what all those emotions feel like." The tears seemed to have stopped flowing, but the stains had been left on his face. He stepped onto the branch between them, placing his hand against the tree trunk for balance. Before Lina had time to react, he had his free hand on her shoulder and his lips pressed to hers.

It felt as if all his emotions were pouring out onto her, but it was still only his lips, so why...

She told her body to push him away, top stop him from doing any more, but her body didn't obey, and an unnatural shiver crawled its way up her spine.

Their lips finally parted, but he still had a look of agony on his face as he sat down on the lower branch. He let his hands dangle between his legs as his head drooped and he said, "Please leave. I'd like to be alone for a while..."

Without saying anything, Lina had herself levitated back to the ground. She nearly tripped over the firewood as she scrambled to someone's tent in an attempt to relieve her watch and get her away from Xelloss for the time being. Before she could pull aside the flap, however, Xelloss's voice rang through her head - Please stay where I can see you...

She stopped and dropped her hands, still shaking from the intensity of his kiss. She stumbled back over to the fire, sitting back in the spot she had vacated recently with her arms wrapped tightly around herself, as if she could repress her shivering by doing so.

"Are you cold?" she heard, or rather, felt him say. It actually was a chilly night, and the fire provided very little warmth. She was about to reply when she suddenly felt a warm pair of arms wrap around her from behind and drag her into his lap. She blushed, still shaking, and looked up to see Xelloss's face a few inches from hers, watching her with a look of worry on his features. Somehow, she wasn't surprised at all to see him and held her hands to her chest as she eased against his body. He shoulder guards and cape had long been shed, and now she discarded her gloves and boots as well. He wrapped his cloak around them both, pulling her up against him to try and stop her shivering. "Better?"

She nodded; gazing once again into the flame that burned before them. She wasn't sure what he was feeling at the moment and decided to ask why he came down after asking her to leave.

"Because I realized it's easier to think when you don't have to worry about someone..." he answered, his eyes resuming their closed state. He noticed she had stopped shaking violently and was now relaxing against him with her head on his shoulder. "Are you tired?" he asked.

She mumbled something, nodding groggily. That..."seizure" she just had actually took a lot of energy out of her, and she felt very weak. She slowly closed her eyes, taking one last glimpse at Xelloss before giving in to sleep.

Unbeknownst to the pair, a set of sapphire eyes had been watching them from behind a tent flap. They now quickly retreated back into the darkness, and a pair of hands deftly fastened the opening closed again.

* * *

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	10. Chapter 02

_The Slayers : Legacy of Darkness_

_Chapter 02_

* * *

"Oi..."

Lina frowned in her sleep, trying to ignore whoever it was that was now nudging her back.

"Oi..." The voice came a little louder that time, sounding irritated and impatient, yet slightly concerned all the while. She muttered something under her breath and started to cast a fireball spell when she remembered where they were. She groaned and sat up, rubbing the last bits of sleep out of her eyes. Zelgadiss sat in front of her, gazing at her with an unreadable expression on his face. A tiny frown of grimace seemed to come across his lips, but he forced it away and said, "Is there something wrong? You don't usually fall asleep on a night watch."

Lina blinked, her memory of the night still fuzzy in her mind. She looked up and noticed that the clouds were various shades of pink, orange, and violet, indicating that it was dawn. Leave it to Zel to wake up as early as possible. In fact, usually he would be the one to relieve her night duties. So why hadn't he last night?

She ran her fingers through her hair while in thought, got them snagged on a knot, ripped a few strands of hair out in frustration, and sighed. It was then that she realized Zel was watching her, and that he had asked her a question a while ago and was waiting for her answer. A light blush played its way across her cheeks as she laughed in embarrassment and replied, "Oh I'm fine. I just suppose I was really tired yesterday after eating all that fish." Suddenly she remembered what had happened the previous night and had to look down to try and hide her dark crimson blush.

Zelgadiss wasn't amused, nor did he believe what she had said. He had witnessed part of what happened and now wanted to hear the whole truth from her without letting her know he had been spying. "If you fell asleep then who tended to the fire all night?" he asked her, nodding his head towards the lively flame and small stack of wood left.

Lina looked up at him again, her cheeks still shining a rosy color. She pretended not to know, shrugged, and replied, "I thought it would have been you, but I guess not since you don't know either." Though at the moment, she wasn't sure why she had acted like that towards Xelloss and why she had fallen asleep so easily in his arms. It could have been the kiss that made her react to him like that...or...

Her cheeks went red again, and she had to look away once more. Zelgadiss had definitely seen her that time, and there wasn't anything she could really do about it. Before he could state the obvious, she answered, "Ok, ok. I'll tell you what happened...though promise you won't tell Gourry or Ameria about it." If Gourry ever found out...

That thought immediately disappeared and was replaced with reality. Gourry seemed to love her more as a younger sister rather than a romantic interest... Maybe she was only dreaming of him loving her in a different way. Though, did she truly love him? Lately she had begun to think it was only a childish crush. She was fifteen at the time anyway. Now she was nineteen and should know better...

She saw Zelgadiss nod in agreement, silently asked herself why she hadn't been more careful and began, "Well you see... The person who watched over camp last night was..."

"Why good morning Lina-san, Zelgadiss-san!" Xelloss interrupted, suddenly appearing sitting comfortably on the ground, no trace of what had happened the night before on his face. He wore his usual cheerful mask, smiling from ear to ear as he spoke. Lina buried her face in her hand and groaned, and Zelgadiss glared at him for interrupting. Xelloss pretended to be clueless as to why they were acting this way and asked, "So what are we doing?"

Lina stood up and said, "I'll go wake Gourry and Ameria..." Xelloss's annoyance was not what she needed in the morning... It was something she would have been very glad to do without. She walked over to Gourry's tent, leaving the mazoku and chimera alone, which, if she had been fully awake and more attentive, was definitely not something she should have done.

Zelgadiss seethed at Xelloss, hating the priest more with every moment that passed. Xelloss just continued to smile, waggled his finger in front of his face, and commented, "It's not nice to glare at other people, Zelgadiss-san."

Zelgadiss growled. "Shut up fruitcake. I'm not trying to be nice to you," he spat back bitterly.

Xelloss chuckled lightly. "Oya, oya. Is that jealousy I feel?" he asked with a smirk. One of his violet eyes opened, which only intimidated Zelgadiss further. Filia and he were always the easiest to arouse, and they hated him with all their being. Xelloss saw it as nothing more than a free meal ticket, so there was no real reason not to tick them off whenever he could.

Before they could continue, however, Lina poked her head out of Gourry's tent and shouted, "Don't do anything rash now. We're too close to the village for you two to be fighting," then went back inside.

Zelgadiss scowled and sat back down, looking away from the Trickster Priest. He rested his chin on his hand and unconsciously gazed at the spot where Lina had been a few minutes ago.

"Ah so I was right about your jealousy..."

Lina left the tent flap open so the sun would shine through. She smiled softly as she watched Gourry sleep, admiring his looks while she could. He still looked like he had the day he "saved" her from the bandits and they first met. He was still as handsome as ever in her eyes, cuter than any other guy that she had met before. Somehow, though, after what had happened last night with Xelloss, she just couldn't look at Gourry the same way she had before... He looked more like the ignorant guardian he was and less like a love interest.

She giggled quietly to herself, then knelt down beside him to wake him up. He was still snoring loudly, and she had to step over a few limbs to get near his head. She nudged his shoulder and said, "Gourry... Gourry wake up."

He muttered, "Just a few more minutes," and rolled over so his back was facing her. She clenched her teeth in frustration, fighting the urge to just fireball him awake. She nudged him again, a little harder this time, and said, "Gourry, _wake up_." She heard him say something about food in his sleep and her stomach growled in response...loudly.

She rubbed it in self-pity and wondered when the last time she had eaten at a decent restaurant was. Too long, she concluded, and decided to drop by one in Miran.

"You must be really hungry Lina... Your stomach woke me up," Gourry said, sitting up on his blanket. He yawned and patted her head. "So what's for breakfast? I'm starved."

Xelloss and Zelgadiss stopped their glaring/grinning contest when they heard Gourry yelp and ask what he did wrong. Amelia crawled out of her tent as well, obviously woken up by all the noise.

All three sighed at the same time.

"So hungry..." Gourry whined, tears streaming down his face. He had a dark blue ring around his eye where Lina's fist had connected. He sat a fair distance away from her, Ameria and Zelgadiss between them to prevent any further abuse to the swordsman. Xelloss sat to Lina's left, a bit separate from the rest of the group. He watched as Lina gave Gourry angry little side glares, Ameria sweatdropped, and Zelgadiss sipped at his coffee, not seeming to care much about the two.

Lina suddenly turned her attention to Xelloss, but when she opened her mouth to speak, she stuttered and blushed, looking around in slight panic. Xelloss had obviously seen it, for his smile disappeared from his face. Zelgadiss watched them from behind his cup, noting that Xelloss seemed about as uneasy as Lina did. Ameria didn't notice anything between the two and tried to quiet Gourry down.

Lina gathered her courage and swallowed before asking, "So Xelloss... could you explain to us why the people of Miran hate sorcery? I also want you to tell us everything you know about the artifact we're looking for." She tried to look at him, but every time she did, she would instantly look away.

A tiny frown surfaced in place of his usual smile as he replied, "I'll tell you the legend, but I must ask that you listen so I don't have to repeat myself." He glanced at Gourry. "Feel free to ask questions _after_ I have finished." Lina nodded on behalf of the others, encouraging Xelloss to continue. "Very well then. I'll tell you what I have heard about the legend of Miran."

Long, long ago, around the time of the Kouma-sensou, a faery by the name of Miran landed on this continent. She was a heavenly being, her hair the color of the sky and eyes the color of the sea. She was alone and had damaged one of her wings so she couldn't leave. For days she wandered, eating wild berries and fruits to survive. Overall she was quite miserable and didn't know what to do.

One day, Miran happened to see a young man fishing near the beach. His name is unknown, but he is said to have been a human of around twenty years of age. She wept in joy, for she had believed she would die alone on this continent. She ran out to him, splashing in the water and leaping into his arms. He was rather surprised at first, but soon embraced and kissed her.

From that day, they were lovers, staying by each other's side through good and bad. The boy's village did not accept her, however, for they feared her magical abilities, calling it awful things like "witchcraft" and "Satan's power". The boy tried to convince them that she truly was a kind-hearted person, but they refused to believe him and said that he had been "deluded by the devil". The village elder then told him he was forbidden from seeing her ever again, and he was locked away in a prison cell.

The days that passed were long and filled with agony, for his heart ached to see his love. He cried loudly, as did she from this forest. Never to see one another ever again was a punishment neither could take, and one day they decided to rebel against the village.

At night, when nobody was awake, Miran sneaked into the room the boy was trapped in. Tears streamed down their faces as they kissed one another. Their weeping woke the rest of the villagers who then gathered around the cell to watch in mixed horror.

The pair turned to face the people, eyes blazing with fury and hands grasping each other's tightly. With a look that cannot be described with words, the boy said, "If we cannot be together in life..."

"Then we shall be together in death," the faery finished for him. A bright blue light grew from their hands, enveloping everything in the area. When the light vanished and all was normal again, the villagers noticed a single crystal shaped in the form of a tear where the two had stood...

"...And that is the lost artifact you all are looking for, the Faery's Tear. It is simply what was left of Miran's powers, which explains why the villagers have it sealed off in the tomb. I believe it has an odd curse on it...though I may be mistaken," Xelloss finished, sighing in relief as he did so. He looked up and saw Lina with a look of pure interest on her face, Zelgadiss with a look of doubt, Ameria close to tears, and Gourry confused.

"So why would the village change their name to hers and build a tomb for them?" Lina asked curiously. Some parts of the story didn't quite make sense, but Xelloss probably left out details to save time.

"Oh that was out of pity I assume," he answered, quite unsure about it himself. "It's only a legend after all, it's not necessarily true." He glanced at Lina and saw her turn pink again. He raised an eyebrow in question, but asked, "Shouldn't you all change and get going? Or do you intend to stay in this forest forever?"

Lina blinked. She had almost forgotten about that part after listening to Xelloss's story. Oh yeah, was her dull reply as she walked over to her bag to fish out something to wear. "Do they have a trend of some sort or does it not matter?" she asked Xelloss.

Zelgadiss and Gourry watched her, one in interest and one not. Ameria stood up and walked to her own bags to find something to wear.

"Oh anything that a commoner would wear will do, really. They welcome travelers as long as they don't use magic, or so I've heard," Xelloss replied.

Lina stopped sorting through her clothes and turned to Xelloss again. "What about you?"

Xelloss shook his head calmly. "I'll meet up with you all when we go to get the artifact. You're on your own for now. I'll see you off at the village entrance and wait near the tomb."

Lina blinked, then shrugged it off and continued to search for something to wear. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Zelgadiss say, "I'll stay at the inn."

Everyone's attention shifted to the chimera. Ameria was the first to speak. "But why, Zelgadiss-san?" Her voice was small and confused as she spoke. She had already settled on a simple, forest green sleeveless shirt and a dark, casual pair of pants. She clutched these in her arms as she stood, waiting patiently for everyone to finish talking.

Zelgadiss shut his eyes, dropping his head in disgust. "Isn't it a bit obvious why not? Unless you have an unimaginable amount of make up, I don't think it is a good idea for me to walk around in a town like that," he said. He crossed his arms and gave them a few seconds to comprehend the situation before asking, "Well?"

"I guess it's ok," Lina said, her nose wrinkling slightly at the thought of leaving him in an inn all by himself. "You'll come with us to the tomb though, right?"

Zelgadiss seemed a bit surprised at her question. "Are you kidding? Of course I'm coming with you all to the tomb. At any rate, it's my fault for dragging you all into this mess..."

Lina grinned in satisfaction, then glanced at Gourry and Ameria. "Are you two going to sit there all day? We have to get that Faery's Tear for Zel!" She saw him fluster out of the corner of her eye and smiled, giving him a small wink when no one else was looking. She then slipped inside a tent to change into her outfit. As she stripped her garments and slid into the others, one thought surfaced in her mind.

"I hope this 'Faery's Tear' thing works..."

* * *

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	11. Chapter 03

_The Slayers : Legacy of Darkness_

_Chapter 03_

* * *

They had to be the oddest-looking group of travelers on the road.

Ameria was wearing her dark colored, tight-fitting clothes. Lina wore a simple T-shirt and pair of jeans. Gourry wore a semi-formal suit for lack of anything else to wear. Zelgadiss gawked at them, dumbfounded at the unearthly scene. Xelloss was trying to fight the urge to laugh, but little snorts and giggles made their way through his fingers.

Lina sighed, exasperated. "Anyone have any better ideas...?" she asked, looking at Xelloss and Zelgadiss for help. Zelgadiss simply shook his head in defeat, whereas Xelloss placed his index finger to his lips in thought.

After a few seconds, Xelloss said, "Why didn't you all just wear some of your normal outfits... I mean Gourry-san would look normal without his armor and sword, Lina-san would look fine just wearing her shirt, pants, and boots, and Ameria-san could go without her cape." When they stared at him in silence, he shrugged and told them it was only a suggestion.

"Actually, I think it'll work nicely," Lina said. In a tiny voice so no one could hear, she added, "Now why didn't I think of that...?"

The three of them stepped back inside their own tents and changed into what Xelloss had suggested. When they were back outside, Xelloss commented, "Now that looks a lot better." He looked them over again, pausing when he came to Ameria. He pointed a finger at her charms and said, "Those won't do..." Ameria pouted childishly and reluctantly took her bracelets off. Zelgadiss rolled his eyes at the immature display, as did Lina. Xelloss stood up, brushed some dirt off his pants, and asked, "Shall we be going?"

Lina was the first to follow, falling one step behind him. Zelgadiss gave them a suspicious glance before following. Ameria could sense uneasiness between her friends, but didn't comment and walked behind Gourry.

"Ne," Lina said after a while, ignoring the others to the best of her ability. They were still in the shadowy forest, following Xelloss because he was their only guide. They weren't being led in circles, though, since none of Zelgadiss's obvious trail markings were seen ever again. Something about the forest gave her the creeps though, and she walked near Xelloss for her own safety. When he didn't respond to her small request, she became a little irritated and said a bit louder, "Ne, Xelloss."

"What is it, Lina-san?" he asked. There was a hint of sadness and hurt still in his voice as he said her name. His eyes remained closed, masking any unnecessary feelings at the time.

Lina's gut twisted in guilt. She had to swallow her pride before continuing, "Look Xelloss...about what happened last night...I'm sorry." She twiddled her fingers a bit, not used to apologizing to anyone.

She had hoped he would smile and laugh at her like the Xelloss she had once known would, but he didn't. Instead, he told her, "It was my fault for telling you... I'm the one that should be sorry." His eyes traveled warily to Zelgadiss and the group to make sure they couldn't hear anything. Much to his relief, or rather, Lina's, they didn't seem to hear any of the conversation.

Lina took a bold step forward so she was walking side by side with him. Her eyes narrowed, her voice sharp and stern as she spoke. "Listen, it was not your fault for how I acted last night... There's nothing wrong with admitting your feelings to someone." She was the last person who should have said that.

"I thought you said mazoku can't love," he replied sourly, making Lina's stomach twist into a tighter knot. He held aside some tree branches and motioned for her to go through. "It is just a bit further. We shall part here for now. Be careful," he said loudly enough for them all to hear. Lina seemed a bit reluctant to leave him, giving him a look of thanks before walking through. Gourry followed next, waving goodbye cheerfully to him. Ameria merely gave him a suspicious sidelong glance as she strode by. Zelgadiss was the only one to speak up.

"What are you up to...?" he asked the priest.

"Nothing I haven't told Lina-san yet," he replied merrily, as if nothing had happened. "If you want to know, it would be best to ask her. Now if you'll excuse me, I have important matters to take care of..." The cold glint of his violet iris gave Zelgadiss chills. He then reclaimed his cheerful expression, waved childishly, and disappeared behind the tree.

When Zelgadiss caught up to the others, he immediately stepped up to Lina. He eyed her carefully, trying to notice any visible changes to her. The only difference he saw was that she didn't hold her head quite as high as she had before, as if her pride had been damaged. "Oi Lina, what exactly did Xelloss say to you?"

Lina glanced around a bit, trying to think of what to answer. "Anou..." she began, "what exactly do you have in mind?"

Zelgadiss gave her a quizzical look before replying, "For example, you could explain why you two have been acting so strangely lately."

Lina squeaked on the inside, then turned to look at the others with a nervous look on her face. Ameria seemed very curious to know what was on, as did Gourry, who for once seemed to understand what was going on. Zelgadiss looked serious, and was waiting patiently for her answer. Lina sighed and looked up at the blue sky filled with pillowy, white clouds. She silently mouthed the words - why me.

Zelgadiss suddenly stopped in his tracks. They were finally out of the forest and were close to the village entrance. Ameria and Gourry stopped behind him, and Lina took a couple more steps before coming to a halt as well, turning around to face him.

"What's the matter, Zelgadiss-san?" Ameria asked him, trying to peer over his shoulder at whatever it was that stopped him. Lina had turned back around and was most likely giving whomever or whatever it was that cocky look of hers. Behind her, Gourry had his hand near the hilt of his Blast sword, seemingly ready, yet reluctant to use it. Ameria still could not see from behind Zelgadiss and the tree, and had to gently push her way through.

Between them and Miran stood a young girl of about thirteen years of age. She had dark pink hair that cascaded in waves down her back and shoulders, reaching almost down to her waist. She wore all black: a tight top that left her shoulders and back bare, long gloves that reached just past her elbows, and a set of tight-fitting, seemingly leather pants with 1-inch heel boots. There was also a black headband in her hair. The most striking feature of her, though, was that she wore a pair of sunglasses that completely shadowed her eyes, preventing them from being seen by anyone who tried to look.

She folded her arms, tilting her hips to one side as she leaned the other way. She grinned and said aloud, "You are Lina Inverse, correct?"

Lina pretended not to be surprised. "So my name has already spread throughout this continent as well? I'm flattered." She said sarcastically, smiling wildly.

"Hn..." The girl stepped forward and walked over to where the gang stood. She saw Gourry grasp the hilt of his sword, ready to attack. She held up a hand, cueing him to let it go. "I am not here to fight," she explained. She smiled sweetly at Zelgadiss who had been glaring at her suspiciously the entire time. He looked away in disgust, causing her to giggle slightly. "Allow me to introduce myself," she said, taking a deep, graceful bow. "My name is Rosetta, though most people call me Rosa. Believe it or not, I do not come from your time period. My home is about eighteen years in the future.

Lina's expression turned to a look of utter and total shock. "The future?"

"What's a future?" Gourry asked cluelessly, causing Lina, Zelgadiss, and Ameria to facefault. Rosa's mouth opened slightly in surprise as Lina jumped up and pummeled the poor swordsman.

"You're missing the point as usual, jellyfish for brains," Lina said through gritted teeth, putting Gourry in a headlock.

Rosa chuckled, seeming delighted by what was happening. She clasped her hands together and commented, "Ah so you must be the ignorant swordsman, Gourry."

Lina glanced up at her with narrowed eyes, as did Zelgadiss. Ameria blinked at their reaction, and Gourry just looked confused. It was one thing for Lina's name to be known, but for the rest of the gang, it meant that she knew more than they thought about them. "I see you've discovered quite a bit about us..." Lina said, her voice low and serious.

Rosa continued to smile warmly. "Lina Inverse the 'dramatta', Gourry Gabriev the guardian mercenary, Zelgadiss Greywers the cursed chimera, and Ameria wil Tesla Saillune the princess of the city of white magic." It was hard not to laugh at their surprised expressions.

"So...what do you want from us?" Lina asked.

"Oh I'm just here to warn you to turn back. Seems like the right time and place for someone to tell you that. Someone always has to try and scare the 'hero' of the story away." She held her hands behind her back, creating an innocent look. "Lina Inverse... If you don't turn back now, you will send the world into everlasting darkness. I will be forced to confront you myself and kill you if necessary," Rosa said sternly.

"Destroy the world? How?" Lina demanded. Her hands were balled into fists, anger apparent in her forced voice. What was this kid trying to say, coming up to Lina Inverse and telling her that she'd be the end of the world. Well it was true that Lina could stop the world if she wanted to, and she couldn't shake off that uneasy feeling in her stomach...

"That I cannot say," Rosa said, bringing a finger to her mouth in a very familiar way. "But now that I have given you a fair warning, I shall take my leave." She bowed again, allowing her strawberry hair to fall over her shoulders, then abruptly faded away, leaving behind only a small, thin line of smoke that wavered in the air for but a second, then was blown away.

An awkward silence followed. Lina seemed to be contemplating this certain turn of events while Ameria, Zelgadiss, and Gourry waited patiently for her guidance. She stared at the ground, realizing for the first time how green the grass was on this land. She then noticed something sticking out from beneath her foot and lifted her foot to see what it was. A single, solitary flower was there, crushed and pressed deep into the earth. A sudden chill ran up her spine, causing her to shudder slightly. Finally, Ameria spoke up. "Lina-san..." she whispered softly out of concern.

Lina blinked out of her thoughts, turned around to her, and asked, "What is it Ameria? We have to get going!" She put on a fake smile so the teenage girl wouldn't worry.

Ameria was slightly taken aback at the response, but decided to play along for the time being. "If you say so, Lina-san," she said, following the sorceress. Gourry and Zelgadiss soon followed as well after exchanging worried glances. Something about all this made the group feel queasy, but until they knew what it was, there was no other path for them to take.

Luckily for them, there weren't many people on the streets, and the few that were seemed to be too much in a hurry to notice the group. They easily found the inn and went inside to get Zelgadiss situated first.

The innkeeper glanced up, seeming surprised to see visitors. He looked them over, cocking an eyebrow curiously at Zelgadiss, who had his hood pulled far over his head. "Welcome," he said, his voice deep and husky. He was a man of muscular build, with little lines of gray beginning to show in his hair.

"Hi," Lina replied, stepping forward and leaving Zelgadiss a safe distance away from the counter. "We need to rent a room for our ill friend here." She gestured her hand towards Zelgadiss, who then quickly faked a cough, bringing his gloved hand up to his face to better hide his blue skin.

"Should I send the doctor in?" the man asked, glancing at Zelgadiss questioningly. He coughed again, and Ameria stepped in front of him to "help" him.

"No that won't be necessary. He just needs a little peace and quite where he can rest," Lina answered quickly. "Now if you'll excuse us, we're kind of in a hurry..."

The man's face brightened up. "Ah! So you all must be tourists here to see the festival." He reached below the table and took out a silver key, laying it on top of the desk for Lina.

"Festival?" she repeated, taking the key into her bare hand. "What festival?"

"Oh you haven't heard?" He seemed a little disappointed by the fact. He leaned back into his chair, folding his hands behind his head as he spoke. "It's called the Moon Faery Festival, honoring Miran. It is said that one may meet one's destiny on this night. If you confess to your true love, your love will be eternal." He rocked on the chair's two back legs, propping his feet against the table's edge for balance. "Though if you want to know more about it, you'd need to ask the leader."

"Thanks for the information," Lina replied. She was a little anxious to leave, but did her best to hide it.

"The leader's house is just down the main road at the end. You can't miss it." He pointed to the right, indicating the direction in which they should go.

Lina nodded. "Thanks again for your help," she said.

"Anytime." He grinned crookedly, revealing a few empty spaces in his teeth. The gang immediately stiffened at the disturbing sight, and walked quickly down the hallway to Zelgadiss's room.

The room was of a decent size, large enough for more than one person to fit. The innkeeper must have thought someone would stay behind to watch over him, for there was a large bed, dresser, three chairs, and a connecting bathroom. Lina walked over to the nearest chair and collapsed onto it, letting out a heavy sigh as she leaned back. She closed her eyes and whispered just loud enough for them to hear, "That guy was creepy..."

Gourry walked over and took the chair closer to her, sitting backwards in it with his legs spread over the sides. He rested his arms on the back of the chair and let his head sit on them. "Yeah," he agreed. "He could almost have beaten Lina for the scariest human in the world..." He saw Lina glare at him, and quickly added, "Uh, not that you're scary or anything Lina..."

She scoffed and crossed her arms across her chest, her right eye twitching slightly in anger. "Jellyfish brains..." she muttered. Zelgadiss finally decided to enter when he thought the room was safe from Lina's foreseen attack. Ameria followed behind him, closing the door cautiously and taking a seat in the last chair while he sat on the bed.

A few silent minutes passed before Zelgadiss asked, "Well? So now what?"

Lina opened her eyes slowly, revealing an innocent look that only lost people get. It wasn't something that they were accustomed to seeing, so they applied their full attention to her. "With all that's happened... That event with the girl from the future, the festival honoring that legend..." She closed her eyes again before continuing. "Xelloss..." Her voice was as delicate as a soap bubble, and seemed to just barely hold itself together. She shook her head and sighed. "I'm not sure if I'll make the right choices..."

Zelgadiss could read her like a book. "Because that girl said you'll be the cause of the end of the world, you're afraid of going further and possibly using the Giga Slave again, aren't you?" The look she gave him confirmed his suspicions. "So I thought..." he said quietly, dropping his head a little. There was an awkward moment of silence where the only thing that could be heard was Ameria's uncomfortable fidgeting. The moment was cut off when Zelgadiss said, "Lina, you know we don't have to. We could always look for another lead if you're afraid of..."

He didn't get to finish his sentence, for Lina had suddenly stood up, almost tipping her chair over. "Now why would I be afraid of a silly little premonition like that?" she told them and herself. She still wondered what could possibly make her cast the Giga Slave...and make a mistake in the process. Her thoughts wandered back to when she had fought Hellmaster Fibrizo. She instantly shoved the thought away, not wanting to remember the events that took place. She had lost a part of herself that day she had called forth the Lord of Nightmares, as she had on the day she had killed Shabranigdo. She tried hard to forget what it was like to have It inside of her, but It refused to let her forget.

Ameria was worried about the way her friend was acting. She knew that Lina used the spell only under extreme situations, and she didn't think she could understand how awful it must feel to have a dark lord like It inside of her body. "Lina-san, are you sure you want to?" she asked worriedly.

Lina sighed again. There was an uncomfortable feeling in her heart that caused it to pump rather quickly, but nonetheless she replied, "Yes Ameria, I'm sure about this." She walked over to the door and opened it slightly. "Well let's get going. Can't keep this leader of theirs waiting too long now can we?" She also added in case someone was listening in on them, "Be sure to rest a lot Zel! We'll be back as soon as possible."

He rolled his eyes at the comment and watched them leave. When the door closed and he heard their padding fade away, he lay down on the bed and said to no one in particular, "She still didn't tell me what was going on between her and Xelloss..."

* * *

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	12. Chapter 04

_The Slayers : Legacy of Darkness_

_Chapter 04_

* * *

Lina's stomach growled for the fifth time that day.

Ameria and Gourry smiled nervously at the people around them that were giving them odd stares. Some windows even flew open as the villagers poked their heads out to see if a storm was on the way. Lina paid them no mind as she slumped down the road, muttering profanity low enough so no one could hear. Her arms dangled at her sides lifelessly, her back bent forward so her torso was almost parallel to the ground. Suddenly, in the midst of her cursing, she gave Gourry a sidelong glare and grumbled, "And I wouldn't have been this hungry if you had just let me eat those fish..."

"I did let you eat the fish!" he protested, just a bit too loudly. Some of the ladies at the sides of the road glanced over at the trio and giggled. Gourry looked back at them, or rather, their chest area, and wondered what was so funny.

Lina groaned after seeing what he was staring at. "Never mind. We're attracting too much attention with this conversation. I don't want to sound like Zel, but we have to keep a low profile while we're in this town or we'll run the risk of getting caught." She looked forward again, suddenly not seeming quite so worn out. "I'm not sure what exactly these people think of sorcery, but my woman's intuition says I'd rather not find out..."

Xelloss watched them patiently from atop the roof of a nearby bell tower. He tapped his finger against his staff, which he held across him, orb resting on his shoulder. He was listening in on their conversation and couldn't help but comment, "Oh no, Lina-san. It is not what the villagers will do to you... It is what you will do to yourself."

He had told them most of what he knew, yes, but he left out an important detail, as usual. The villagers had a good reason for keeping sorcerers and magic away. The Faery's Tear had a nasty curse on it in exchange for granting one's wish, and it could only be activated by one who uses a very high level of magic. Lina was such a person.

Zelas had sent Xelloss out on orders to merely observe the events to follow; the story about an unknown mazoku had been made up as a cover, and it had served its purpose rather well. Unfortunately for Zelgadiss, he lacked the capability to revive the artifact. Lina was the only one that could... Xelloss probably could, too, but he was given strict orders to only observe, not interfere. He had no intention of disobeying.

Something greatly confused Xelloss, though. When he was just about to take his leave, his master stopped him and gave one final order - go get what you want. He had simply nodded and phased out, not thinking of what it could possibly mean. Now that he had time to think about it, he was clueless as to what the Beast King could have been trying to imply.

He sighed and shrugged it off. "I suppose we'll find out soon enough now won't we..." He tapped his finger against the wood of his staff again and vanished.

Lina, Ameria, and Gourry stood before a large building...or rather, a large mansion. They gaped at it in awe, trying to imagine how much money the place could have cost. Ameria stepped forward to the door, leaving Lina and Gourry behind to continue staring. She was of royalty herself, so grand displays like this did not shock her quite as much. She lifted the large, well-decorated handle, and let it hit the oak door once. Seconds later, a lady of decent height stood where the door had been, knocking Ameria backward in surprise. The woman blinked at them, then her face lit up and she exclaimed, "So you all must be what's causing the villagers to get excited!"

Lina stepped over Ameria's fallen body to the woman. She wasn't dressed in the same style as the mansion. Her outfit consisted of a tight, blue, stretchy shirt, which more or less boasted her large bosom, which had snatched Gourry's attention away from the mansion. Her pants were of the same style, and ended just above her ankles. She wore heeled shoes, but nothing of the prissy sort. There was a mini comb holding back her hair on the left, with a large, crystal rose attached to it. Her hair was straight and came down just past her shoulders, and the color planted the word, ocean, in one's mind. The only jewelry she wore was a long necklace with a diamond imitation of a seashell dangling from it.

"Umm..." Lina stammered, for once unsure of what to say. The lady continued to smile, creating an odd feeling of trust inside Lina. "Yes we are travelers... We'd like to know-"

"Come on in!" she interrupted, standing aside and holding her hand out, permitting entrance. "You all must be hungry and tired from your journey. Have some food and relax while we talk."

Food? Lina's brain clicked at the word. She was instantly standing upright, healthy looking as ever, and accepting the offer with gratitude. She dragged Gourry and Ameria in behind her before they could say anything, and paused when she reached the main area, for it was more spectacular than outside of the building. The village leader smiled and closed the door quietly, then walked over to where they stood. "Please follow me to the dining room," she told them, walking through a doorway to their right. The group followed obediently, and they soon found themselves in yet another room of equal splendor.

"Wow," Gourry murmured, admiring the glass table, chandelier, and linen chairs. He sat down in one and remarked, "Comfy."

Lina rolled her eyes at the display of Gourry-ness while Ameria walked over to the fireplace. She ran a finger along the glossy stone and said, "You live in a very nice place, Ms..."

"Tsunami," she filled in, her voice soft and delicate, yet straightforward all the while. "I am not married, and I do not have a last name, so please just call me Tsunami," she added with a kind smile.

Lina blinked at the information, taking a seat by Ameria and across from Gourry. It was a table for many guests, so she guessed that Tsunami must know quite a few of the townsfolk. "What do you mean by not having a last name?" she inquired.

Tsunami sighed softly. "It's a long story... Perhaps we should discuss it over a meal. I'll go tell the chef to prepare something." She was about to leave, then paused to ask, "Do you have any requests?"

Lina flashed an ok sign with her fingers and winked. "Anything is fine. Just bring triple portions for each of us."

"Triple portions?" Tsunami repeated, confused.

Ameria sweatdropped and answered for Lina. "We just eat a lot..."

Tsunami paused, then giggled. "Alright, triple portions for each of you. I'll be right back." She retreated behind the swingy door at the other end of the room, leaving the trio to talk quietly among themselves.

"She seems pretty nice," Ameria commented after the door swung into place.

"Pretty and nice," Gourry said aloud to no one in particular. "I wish a certain someone I know was like that..."

Lina twitched at the comment. She would have just gone and blasted him with a fireball, but there were too many fragile things about, so she bit back on that urge. "Don't get too friendly with her," she warned. "She might be trying to trick us into something; a deal of some sort perhaps." Ameria sat down in the chair beside Lina, listening curiously. Lina sighed, allowing her head to droop a little. "I'm just saying we should be careful around her. My woman's intuition tells me there's more to her than meets the eye..."

Zelgadiss lay in bed, eavesdropping on the locals as he relaxed. The window was closed and the curtains were pulled over, but his acute sense of hearing allowed him to listen in on their conversations. So far he had picked up two important factors. One, there was to be no lights; it would be lit purely by the moon and stars. Two, everyone was expected to wear masques, which meant he could probably walk around normally. Three, the leader of the village was going to unveil the Faery's Tear for the public to see. He decided he would have to attend the festival after all. Now he just needed something to wear.

"Sorry about that," Tsunami said as she returned. "It'll be ready in about ten minutes." She took a seat beside Gourry, rested her elbows on the table, and placed her chin in her hands. Her gaze shifted from Gourry to Ameria, then to Lina. "Perhaps I should talk about my lineage after the meal has been served so we won't have any interruptions?" She saw Lina nod in agreement. "Well in the meantime, what is it that you came to ask me?"

The three exchanged glances, then Lina spoke up. "Actually we came here to ask you about the festival tonight. We were wondering what it's for," she explained.

Tsunami smiled gently at Lina. "Would you all like to be my guests? I think it would be nice for travelers to see our tradition."

"Uh, sure," Lina replied. She was slightly surprised, for she had just realized how pretty Tsunami was when she smiled. Her eyes were of the deepest blue, topped by long, black eyelashes and a light eye shadow. Her lips were a luscious pink and seemed to shimmer as she talked.

Tsunami clasped her hands in delight at the answer. "Wonderful! It will be held in the center of town where the small garden and fountain are. Everyone must wear a masque, and there will be dances. All lights will be off, so don't be scared."

Ameria perked up at the comment. "So it's sort of like a masquerade ball?" she asked.

"What's a 'masquerade ball'?" Tsunami asked in return. She thought of a sphere with a masque on it and giggled.

"Well it's basically like what you just said, except that they are usually held inside with a lot of lights." Ameria explained.

Tsunami smiled again. "So you will be familiar with what happens I suppose." She took a second to push back her hair, then said, "I assume you will be attending? I'll have one of my servants fetch some outfits for you all. Following the tradition, women wear white, and men wear black, representing the stars and the night sky respectively. Is that alright with you?"

Lina nodded, then quickly added, "Oh could you get another men's suit? We have a friend at the inn who may want to come." Ameria gave her an unsure look, but Lina just ignored it.

"Sure," Tsunami answered cheerily.

The door at the end of the room then swung open, and a lady waitress pushed out two carts piled with stacks of food. Lina's mouth instantly started watering, as did Gourry's. Scents of lemon-pepper chicken sifted through the air, along with other flavorful foods. Lina inhaled the fine aroma heartily and sighed in pleasure. She eased into her chair and watched delightedly as her meal was placed before her. Finally, her eyes settled on the large, steaming, juicy chicken, and the words "Someone up there loves me" ran through her mind. She picked up her fork and knife and declared, "Itadakimasu!" before digging in.

A sweatdrop slid its way down Xelloss's head as he viewed the scene through the glass window from his spot in the tree. "Is food all she ever thinks about...?" he wondered. He yawned, holding a gloved hand over his mouth as he did to muffle the sound. Tiny tear droplets formed at the edges of his eyelids. He opened one eye and stood up. "It would be interesting to be at the festival wouldn't it?" he said aloud, keeping his gaze on Lina, who was stuffing her face violently with food. He grinned at her, then looked to see how their host was enjoying the display.

His grin turned into a frown when he saw Tsunami. There was something rather odd about her...something mysteriously odd. Nevermind the lack of a reaction to Lina's eating behavior, her aura seemed confusing and withdrawn. Her actions seemed to whisper, "I know something you don't know," and annoyed Xelloss to no end. He shook his head in temporary defeat, then dissipated into the air once more.

Gourry and Ameria watched their friend in disgust. Sure this was expected...but the way she swallowed everything, bones and all, was stomach flipping.

Ameria leaned over to whisper to her, "Lina-san, try to be a little more polite." She saw the blur of a small chunk of meat fly by her head and turned a little blue.

Lina swallowed another piece and gulped down some water straight from the vase. Even Gourry had trouble eating after seeing all this, which was a ludicrous thought. Lina glanced at Ameria, crumbs and grease outlining her mouth. "I _am_ being polite," she claimed, though she held a half-eaten chicken leg in her hand. She then bit into the loaf of bread she had clenched in her other hand, tearing a large amount of it off and chewing it greedily. Ameria sighed and shook her head in shame for her friend.

Tsunami's voice interrupted their thoughts. "Is it good?" she asked.

Lina nodded, though it looked rather odd because her cheeks were bulging out from her face. "It'sh fery tashty," she said through a mouthful of food.

"I'm so glad," Tsunami replied. The waitress then left the room with an expression of utter disbelief on her face. Tsunami looked after her until the door swung back into place. She then turned back to Lina and company and proposed, "Shall I tell you my tale?"

Lina began to fork squid to her mouth as she glanced suspiciously at Tsunami's suave posture and tone of voice. Why any person would volunteer information like one's family history was beyond her. After she swallowed the rough food down her overworking throat, she urged, "Well?"

Tsunami placed her hands in her lap, showing signs of nervousness that could clearly be seen through the glass table. She began to wonder why she had bought this table. Despite its elegance and beauty, it was an invitation for the right and wrong pairs of eyes. She decided it was nothing to be concerned about and said in a voice just louder than a whisper, "I am a blood relative of Miran. I'm her younger sister..."

Silence filled the vast room. Gourry bit down on his chopsticks while Ameria held a cherry just inches above her mouth. Lina had her knife cut halfway through a steak. Now that she mentioned it, the three of them realized that she matched the description Xelloss had given them, or at least Lina and Ameria did. Lina's eyes narrowed again, "And why are you telling us this...?"

Tsunami gave a tiny grin and shook her head slowly. "Now really, did you actually think I didn't know you were sorceresses?" She looked at Lina and Ameria intently, seeing them stiffen up and therefore acknowledging the fact. She crossed her arms, now feeling confident while they felt uncomfortable. "Faeries have sort of a sixth sense about this kind of thing, considering we mostly rely on magic to survive," she added, "I knew right away that you all were magic users." Her gaze shifted specifically to Lina. "And you," she stated, "your aura was bleak, tainted by something unfamiliar...alien to me."

Lina's face went chalky white and she instantly dropped her utensils on her table. Her appetite vanished, and she suddenly felt very sick. Were her nightmare magics standing out that much? If they really leaked from her like that, was that what was luring what seemed to be the entire mazoku race to her? By "alien", had she meant...

Since the last time she had used and successfully gotten the Golden Lord into her body via the Giga Slave, she had always feared if there were any permanent scars of the incident on her body. There were a few minor changes here and there - her hair didn't grow as quickly, her memory sometimes had loopholes in it, and "that time of month" coming every other month rather than every month, but nothing was ever too bad... Now that she knew she "smelled" like It, she feared what other things she hadn't noticed yet.

"So why haven't you done anything to us yet? This village hates magic don't they?" Ameria asked, allowing her childish innocence to take over.

Tsunami poured herself a cup of hot tea and sipped at it, sighing in relaxation as the glass left her lips. She placed the cup down gently and replied, "If I did tell everyone that you all were sorcerers, then how would I explain how I found out?"

Gourry rubbed his chin in thought. "Couldn't you make something up?" he asked.

Tsunami looked down at her lap and played with her fingers. "Well that's because... Faeries have to take an oath when they're born, and one part of it goes 'I will never cheat, lie, or steal from anyone' or something along those lines..."

"I see..." Gourry said and resumed thinking. After several moments passed, he looked up and commented, "Then you must have done a really good job at acting human to keep the villagers from asking!" then laughed carelessly.

Tsunami eyed him peculiarly, wondering what type of person he was. "Actually...one person did know. He was the former chief of this village who took me in."

Gourry hit his fist on his open palm as if to say that he understood. Ameria just put her thumb and index finger to her forehead and sighed in disbelief. Lina bit her bottom lip and watched Tsunami talk with Gourry. Something about all this didn't seem right to her, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was exactly. "So what happened to this guy then?" Lina asked.

Tsunami went silent and looked away. Lina's face turned to shock as she realized what must have happened. She scolded herself for not thinking before asking. Now she reminded herself of Zelgadiss when he had mentioned Sylphiel's late father shortly after his demise - an idiot. She smiled nervously and said, "Oh come on, I didn't mean to..."

"It's alright," Tsunami quickly interrupted. "I'm...okay with his death now." She brushed a tear from her eye with her index finger, then smiled. "Anyway, I'll send for someone to bring you formal dresses for the festival. I need to help set up for the main event."

Lina cocked an eyebrow in half-interest. "Main event?" she inquired.

"Why," Tsunami's face lit up in delight, "we'll be unveiling the Faery's Tear of course. I'm sure you would like it," she said with a grin.

For the first time since they arrived, Lina smiled. "I'm sure we would..."

"Great." Tsunami stood up and bowed politely. "It was a pleasure. Now if you'll excuse me..." She lifted her head and retreated through the door whence they came. There was barely enough time to breathe before one of her maids came in with their outfits. She handed them to each of their respective owners (Lina got two) and motioned for the trio to follow her back to the entrance to leave. Lina shrugged and obeyed, though only after she ate the last bit of cake. Gourry followed Lina's example, taking a few grapes with him and munching on them as he walked out. Ameria sighed in helplessness and ran after them.

Tsunami entered her room and closed the door behind her, locking it to prevent intrusions. A devilish grin swept across her face as her outfit changed into a navy-blue shinobi robe, and a long, thin ponytail fell from its hiding place under her hair. Her eyes glowed as she sat down on her bed and flipped a small mirror to face her.

"That went pretty well," Tsunami said.

"That's good," a childish voice replied. "Did anyone notice anything funny about the story?"

"Not at all. Though, I think Xelloss saw a leak in my disguise."

"Hmm...Oh well. Just don't let him tell his friends anything about it until I get there. Ok, Tsunami?"

Tsunami did a half bow. "Hai, Dolphin-sama."

* * *

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	13. Chapter 05

The Slayers : Legacy of Darkness 

_Chapter 05_

* * *

"Mmrph... What was that for!?" Zelgadiss demanded, pulling the clothes from his face and semi-glaring at Lina. He had fallen asleep while waiting, and the unexpected assault had sent him falling off the bed with a loud thud. He then blinked and looked over the outfit in his hands, examining the masque that fell from it. "What's this for?" he asked.

Lina put her hands on her hips. "Don't whine and just put them on. You're coming with us to the festival tonight," she told him, heading back to the door. "Ameria, Gourry, and I are going to the baths and getting ready for the festival. I suggest you do the same," she said, not pausing even once to look back at him, which he thought was a little odd. He looked down at his clothes again and wondered why they would wear tuxedos to a festival. Deciding to save that question for later, he focused on the task at hand – sneaking to the baths without being noticed.

He wasn't very successful.

Lina relaxed against the side of the tub. Half of her face was submerged underwater, allowing her to think a little better. "I wonder..."

Her thought went trailing off when cold water came splashing down on her. After a second of recovering from the shock, she was instantly out of the pool and strangling whomever it was that did that. "...Ameria?" Lina asked, surprised to see that the little princess had dared to attempt such a feat. "What the hell was that for?!" Lina growled.

"Lina...san..." Ameria gasped between chokes. "You looked like you were falling asleep and didn't respond when I asked if you were okay." She tried to smile innocently and said, "So you're not going to kill me?"

A very loud splash of water followed by a loud scream could be heard doors down from where they were.

"Ne Zelgadiss. I'm gonna go ahead and change. Will you be all right here by yourself?" Gourry asked with his usual idiotic smile.

A large sweatdrop rolled down the back of the chimera's head. "A-Aa... I'll be fine. Go ahead Gourry," he replied. Gourry stepped out, waved, and left the room cheerfully. Zelgadiss cocked his head slightly at the strange behavior, wondering why the swordsman seemed so happy all of a sudden. "Unless...he and Lina finally confessed to one another?" He tried to picture the scene, realized it would never happen on its own, and continued to wonder what happened while they were gone.

Lina stood before a mirror holding her silky dress to her body, trying to imagine it on her. "Ne Ameria, do you think this would look good on me? ...Ameria?"

Ameria was bent over one of her trunks, which got there possibly by magic, scavenging through it for something. "I know they're here somewhere...ah! Here they are!" She twirled around and held up what looked like earrings to Lina. "Here Lina-san. Wear these."

Lina took the earrings from Ameria's palm, holding them up by their hooks and letting them dangle freely. "Moons?" she inquired.

"Diamond moons," Ameria corrected, emphasizing their value. "Since tonight is a Moon Faerie Festival, I thought it would be nice to have earrings to go with the occasion," she explained.

Lina just blinked and said, "Good idea..."

"Why don't we try this perfume out? It smells lightly of roses."

"Eh heh heh...no."

"Please Lina-san? Just a little dab..."

A little while later...

"Hey Zelgadiss you look good in that!" Gourry complimented, looking cheerful again.

Zelgadiss couldn't help but smile faintly. "As do you," he replied. The sun was setting quickly outside; the festival would start soon. "I wonder what's taking the girls so long," he said.

Gourry shrugged. "Girls will be girls I suppose."

"Wow... Lina-san looks so pretty!" Ameria exclaimed, looking over her latest...work.

Lina wore a long, silky dress that left her shoulders bare, hugged tightly to her curves, and hung loosely around her arms. The skirt was parted in the front up to her thighs, allowing free movement. She wore slightly heeled white shoes (If they were too high-heeled, she would most likely trip and fall), and a long ribbon twisted up her leg from there. A decorated band rapped around her neck, and her hair was held in a very loose ponytail held together by a ruffled hair band. Along with the shining earrings and glass-beaded bracelet, Lina looked absolutely stunning.

"You look good yourself, Ameria," Lina whined, trying to get Ameria to stop commenting on how she looked, though she was already blushing.

"Not as pretty as Lina-san though!" she protested, proud of her masterpiece. It was true, though. Lina made other ladies they had seen outside look dull. She grabbed Lina's hand and pulled her towards the door. "Come on, Lina-san! It's getting dark outside and I want to show you to Zelgadiss-san and Gourry-san before we go!" The little princess ran out the door pulling Lina behind her, who was stumbling along.

"Wait, Ameria! Slow down!"

Tsunami stood before the Faery's Tear, deep within the tomb. It was resting on a small pedestal, protecting the bodies of the villagers who had been buried here. She stepped up to the artifact and placed her hands on the sides of it. "Have to borrow this, Miran." The Tear glowed, allowing Tsunami to remove it. She looked at it, surprised to see that it had let her take it so easily. She tucked it away safely and started to head back out.

Gourry was rather close to falling asleep and Zelgadiss was growing impatient when Ameria arrived. Zelgadiss was the first to see her, surprised at how pretty she looked in her dress. It made her look older, maturer than she usually did. He stood up straight from his place against the wall and was about to comment when the blonde swordsman's question came out. "Where's Lina?"

Ameria's smile doubled in size as she stood erect in front of the dark corridor behind her. "Gentlemen, I present to you, the Moonlight Princess!" she said, taking a deep bow and holding her arms out towards the center of the doorway as she stepped to the side. Zelgadiss groaned and buried his face in his left hand as he took back the thought about her being mature, but what came next dazzled him infinitely.

Lina stepped forward out of the shadows, her face extremely overheated. She looked down at the floor between her and her and the two stunned guys, suddenly feeling bashful and shy. "Umm..."

In a split second, Gourry was at her feet, gazing up her skirt and expectedly saying, "Are you really Lina?"

In his semi-squat position, Lina had a clear shot at his vital area, and she didn't hesitate to take advantage of that chance. Gourry slumped to the ground, and in turn, Lina grinned triumphantly.

After recovering from the minor fright due to Lina's actions, Zelgadiss strode up to both girls and remarked, "You look very nice...both of you."

Lina blushed and passed his compliment onto Ameria. "Ameria did it all... Basically all I did was stand and fidget," Lina said, laughing nervously. Zelgadiss looked at Ameria and nodded acknowledgement to her, and she beamed at her work.

"Well if we're all ready then shall we go? I thought I heard activity down the street," Zelgadiss told them. He walked over to the door and opened it, holding his hand out to encourage their exit. "Ladies first."

Lina offered a hand to Gourry who was still crouched down on the floor. "Gourry are you ok?" she asked, genuine concern in her voice for once. She knew she had kicked him rather...hard. He took her hand and staggered up, his face still rather blue from the brutal attack. She sweatdropped and helped him out the door. "Guess I hit you a little too hard..."

Zelgadiss shook his head at them. Ameria then ran up to him and placed her hand in the crook of his arm. "Shall we go, Zelgadiss-san?"

He paused, then smiled and nodded his agreement. They walked out behind Lina and Gourry, letting the door behind them shut with a soft clang, closing them into the moonlit streets.

It was then that Zelgadiss noticed the bright full moon sitting in the sky, as pale as the white dresses Lina and Ameria wore. The moonlight illuminated the white outfits, creating angelic silhouettes around the faeries...faeries?

Zelgadiss blinked a couple of times. What was before him looked like a page out of a fantasy book, and he had to reiterate that this was reality a few times to himself. He couldn't help but stare at them as they walked...

Now they knew why lights weren't needed on this night.

They arrived at the center of the village where most had obviously gathered. There was a large, circular fountain that seemed to radiate its own light – a bluish glow that brightened the white dresses and made the black suits truly look like the night sky. The people were dancing around this fountain to music with no source; rather, an aura of sound. Even Lina was amazed to see all this and could do nothing but stare.

"There you are!"

Lina blinked out of her thoughts and looked to the right where the voice had come from. After a few moments of wondering whom it was, her face brightened in recognition and she replied, "Hello, Tsunami-san."

Tsunami looked as cheerful as ever, smiling ever so calmly as she stepped through the crowd to where they stood. She curtsied in her majestic dress, letting the ruffles flounce about her. As she stood, her eyes traveled the lengths of their suits. "You all look very stunning," she commented.

"So do you," Lina added. She saw Tsunami's eyes settle on someone behind her and spun around to see who it was.

Zelgadiss's and Tsunami's gazes were locked, one pair seeming to bore deep into the other. Zelgadiss's mouth was set in a firm, thin line, and he didn't do as much as blink. After a couple of slow, dragging moments, Tsunami stated quietly, "You...are the descendant of Akahoshi Rezo, aren't you?"

Zelgadiss scowled bitterly at her, narrowing his eyes into a deadly glare. When all she did was smile sympathetically at him, he had to avert his gaze to keep form losing his suave appearance to such a tranquil expression. It was still a touchy subject to bring up in his presence, for he had never truly forgiven his great-grandfather/grandfather for what he had done to him. He lost more than just his body that day; he had lost his energetic spirit, his fascination towards life. He had lost that bright fire in his heart, the same fire he found in Lina, of all people. He supposed this was what attracted him to her. Perhaps if a few stray sparks found their way into his cold heart, that fire may return.

"Well anyway, food buffets are to the right, dancing takes place around here," she informed them, motioning in the general directions as she spoke. "I'll show the Faery's Tear to everyone in about an hour. Please arrive on time." She turned, then stopped. "Oh yes, and do remember to put on your masques."

They did as told and watched silently as Tsunami left. Lina then turned around to face the group with a thumbs-up sign. She winked and said, "Well you heard her – food buffet to the right! Let's go!" With the last comment, she raised her fist in the air to add more force to the shout. Gourry and Ameria instantly replied with a loud "Au!" whereas Zelgadiss waited several seconds before adding his less-than-interested "Au." They turned in the general direction of the buffet tables and stampeded through the crowds, stirring up a little argument here and there as they passed by.

They plopped down in the seats at the center (Zelgadiss sat down without uttering a word), the noise of their ravaging causing the nearby village folk to stop and glance over in curiosity. Lina's, Gourry's, and Ameria's hands all reached for the same bowl piled with delicacies, and after a few sparks were shared, they began attacking one another for the dish while Zelgadiss sipped at his coffee, watching them with an I'd-be-more-amused-watching-stunts-on-a-ladder sort of look on his face. The squabbling continued until another hand rested on the edge of the bowl, pressing down on it so it would sit on the table again. The immature ones glanced up to see who the black-gloved hand belonged to.

"Xelloss (Xelloss-san)!" Gourry and Ameria cried out in unison, both seeming unusually happy to see him. Lina blinked a few times, allowing his presence to fully make its mark in her brain. He was there, yes. He was looking at her, yes. He was complimenting her dress, yes. He was dressed as if he were attending the festival himself, no.

Three out of four - not bad considering the immense shock she had felt to see his happy face here.

Zelgadiss sipped at his coffee calmly, peeking at the others when he thought they wouldn't notice. He could tell that Lina had gotten uncomfortable again, though that could have been due to the tight grouping of people as well. Maybe he was just being paranoid. He wasn't her guardian anyway – Gourry was.

Ameria looked between the two. She felt she had to do something, but what? Suddenly out of nowhere, a young lady of around twenty strode up to them. She scanned over the group, then smiled brightly and took Gourry's hand from the edge of the bowl and ushered him towards the dancing area. "Let's dance!" she shrieked gaily. Gourry followed with no enthusiasm, but his face showed some signs of intent. Lina had raised her hand slightly in a very weak attempt to stop them, but for some reason when she had wanted to speak her mouth refused to open. Perhaps it was an internal voice that told her the best thing to do would be to let him go, and subsequently she didn't feel any remorse for what she had done. Still, her heart ached a bit when he smiled back at his partner...

"Zelgadiss-san, would you like to dance with me?"

Lina instantly turned around, her expression a mix of fear and betrayal. Ameria's torso was bent over, and she simpered gleefully at the surprised chimera. "U-Um..." Zelgadiss stuttered, moving his gaze to Lina. She simply gave him a false smile and nodded at him, telling him she would be all right and that he shouldn't worry himself over her. His mouth slanted, he being unsure, but he accepted Ameria's request and guided her out, casting one quick glance back at Lina before focusing on what he was doing.

Lina felt deserted. Sure, Xelloss was there, but it still felt as if...

Xelloss, feeling Lina literally radiate unhappiness, extended his hand to her and whispered, "Lina-san..."

She looked shyly at his hand, then slowly raised her head so their eyes would meet. His were once again open and sincere, just as they had been several times that week. The happy facade had once again vanished and had been replaced by something different – something more...human.

Even as she lowered her hand into his palm she hesitated. The reason for it was unknown even to herself, as if a brick wall was keeping her from the answer. When her fingertips had only just lightly brushed his palm, he took her hand in both of his and held it gently. "Lina-san, I wish you would stop this," he said in a suppressed voice, locking his eyes with hers.

Her head dropped slightly and she gave a small nod. Xelloss was about to say something else to her, but then decided to save it for another time. Instead, he stood and walked around the end of the table, not releasing her hand even for a moment, then asked, "Well then, shall we?" and offered his arm.

A look of slight panic washed over her face. "B-But I don't even know how to dance...well...sorta..." Her cheeks colored slightly, and she suddenly found it difficult to even look in his direction.

He chuckled slightly at that remark, thinking it was more fitting to her than her previous comments. "But Lina-san, you don't honestly want to sit here the entire time do you?" he asked her. Before she could answer, however, he swept her to her feet, put her hand on his arm, and guided her towards the fountain.

"W-Wait a minute!" she squeaked, her face turning several shades darker. She walked stiff-legged, looking around to see others smile at them and looking away uncomfortably in the process. Xelloss waved back at them, making the two look more like a couple than Lina had wanted, or not wanted. She dropped her head in sheer embarrassment, afraid to look around lest she be laughed at. "Xelloss..."

"Hmm...?"

"Why?"

"Why what, Lina-san?"

"Why are you being so nice even though-"

"Why should I act otherwise? Do you want me to be mean to you?"

"No, that's not what I meant..."

"Then it's alright, isn't it?"

She couldn't help but smile slightly as she nodded her reply. No matter how she treated him, he always tried to be kind to her whenever possible. Perhaps if she hadn't fallen in love with Gourry, she might've considered...

Wait a minute. Stop. Rewind. Did she actually just think that Xelloss was decent enough to love? No way. Even if things had gone differently, she would never, could _never_ fall in love with a she?

"Lina-san, you're blushing," Xelloss teased. "What are you thinking about?"

She sweatdropped and waved her hands in protest despite the all-too-obvious crimson tint to her cheeks. "I...uh...wasn't thinking about anything. Nothing at all, really!"

He was laughing on the inside, though kept up his genki facade to prevent her from noticing. "Oh is that so...by the color of your face and the panic in your voice, I'd say you were thinking of something naughty Lina-san."

Steam rose from her face as it flushed the darkest red. "I was not! Don't make me hurt you..."

Before she could go on, however, Xelloss shushed her with a finger to her lips and said, "Lina-san, if you really want to know why I'm taking you to dance, it is because I thought it would be a shame to leave someone so beautiful alone at the tables. I'm very glad you gave me the honor of dancing with you."

They stopped walking and stood face to face.

Lina's eyes shone with the moonlight. Her nose and upper cheeks were still a pastel pink, but no longer out of the ordinary. In a low whisper, she replied in turn, "When did I say you could..."

He answered in an equally low whisper, "When did you say I couldn't..."

They stood there for a while, both out of words to say. Lina seemed to be mildly shocked, whereas Xelloss was calm. Rather than speaking aloud, he took her hand tenderly, kneeled down, and kissed the back of it.

"May I have this dance, o' fair one blessed with the beauty with which none other can compare?"

There was a small pause of silence between the two where the only sounds audible were those of curious pairs. Lina paid them no mind and answered, "Granted."

There was some clapping from the spectators as Xelloss bowed and Lina curtsied. The dancing area cleared out for them, and the music stopped as they made their way there. Gourry, Ameria, and Zelgadiss were lost in the crowds, watching their friend silently and not uttering a sound.

As the faint music began to play, Lina and Xelloss danced around the area cleared for them. At times they neared the fountain where the music was at its loudest, and at times they got so far away that they could barely hear it.

It was odd, however. The dance sequence could not be identified, and there was no pattern to it. Most likely it was some sort of mazoku dance or village dance, but how did Lina know what to do in either case? Some villagers seemed familiar with it, so Ameria decided on the latter. Still...

The music was strange. It held no reasonable rhythm, but rather tapped into one's heart directly and told a tragic tale. Zelgadiss could make no sense out of it, however, and chose best to try and ignore it for now and ask the others about it later.

Gourry stared in awe at the fountain. The glow brightened and dimmed according to the feelings of the music. It almost seemed alive in a way...

Lina's eyes were closed as she followed Xelloss's movements. There were no oral directions exchanged between the two as to what moves to make; it was all a natural connection. But, they were in fact conveying messages through their touches, their body movements, and their facial expressions. Only the other could read these, none of the people watching understood.

/Xelloss.../

/Yes, Lina-san?/

/I want you to tell me...the truth. Why...can you explain?/

/...I told you already. I love you./

/Prove it./

/What?/

/I want to make sure you're not lying. Prove it./

/How?/

/At the end of this song, dip me and kiss me like you did the other day./

/...Are you serious?/

/Very./

/...Alright.../

As they neared the end of the song, Lina slid her fingers down Xelloss's arm and interlaced their hands. He glanced at her warily, confused by her actions. She seemed different, though why she suddenly changed attitudes was a mystery.

The song ended.

Xelloss dipped her on the last note.

She slid her free hand along his cheek and touched the fingertips to his hair.

He kissed her with the same amount, if not more passion than he had the other night. Small tear droplets fell from the corners of Lina's eyes, making tiny splash marks on the ground. The entire crowd roared with applause, yet Ameria, Zelgadiss, and Gourry all stood in a daze, trying to soak in the event and failing to do so.

Lina broke the kiss and took off running towards the city's exit, leaving Xelloss, confounded, behind. Tears still fell from her eyes, though not a sound came from her lips. She stopped when she got outside and sat down against a tree to catch her breath. She rested her head on her shoulder and stared in a daze at a point in the sky just above the tree line. The last of her tears fell just as her breathing calmed, and she closed her eyes from exhaustion.

"Why did I ask him to..." Her hand slipped down into her lap. A chilly breeze blew by, toying with the edges of her skirt and causing her to shiver slightly. It wasn't the same as the other night, but still... Why did she feel awkward when he was around now? Why couldn't she sort out her emotions...? Why was she afraid...

A rustle in the bushes behind her took her out of her thoughts. She sat alert, silently chanting a spell in her mind and drawing the energy into her right hand. Then she called out, "Who's there?"

No answer, just the howl of the wind blowing through the trees. Lina still continued to wait for whoever it was, though it was evident she was getting rather impatient. She was about to dispel the fireball in her hand when she felt a presence just above her. She quickly launched the spell up towards whoever it was, but felt the presence disappear just as quickly as it had appeared. She stepped on a twig in frustration, snapping it loudly in half. "Stop hiding and show yourself!" she yelled.

"You take the fun out of everything. No one likes a quick tempered person who always yells," a familiar pink-haired girl said, stepping out of the trees' shadows.

"You again!?" Lina growled, pointing a finger at Rosa. She just smiled in return and faded again, leaving Lina standing shocked. "Mazoku?"

"Not quite," Rosa said, appearing to Lina's left this time. She threw five knives at Lina's head and vanished again. Lina dodged them, but not without getting a strand of hair cut off. She created another fireball, paused, then tossed it right hoping it would make contact. A faint giggle answered no.

Lina barely dodged Rosa's next attack, seeing the girl just behind her about a second before it slit her skirt. She scowled, then asked, "Why are you attacking me? And why now?" She rolled out of the way of another attack as she waited for an answer.

"Like I said before, you're a threat to a world, and threats are best taken out as soon as possible," Rosa replied, vanishing again.

"What?" Lina snapped at the space Rosa had just vacated. She glanced around warily, waiting for her next strike.

"Lina-san!"

Lina jerked her head towards the town to see Xelloss walking to her. She dropped her guard and murmured, "Xel-"

"Gotcha." Lina's face twisted in pain as a large gash was ripped open along her upper arm. She grabbed the wound with her left hand in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding. She fell to her knees with her eyes shut tight, fighting back the cry of pain. She could only watch helplessly as the dagger descended again...

But it never made contact.

She slowly opened her eyes again and looked up to see both of Rosa's wrists held in Xelloss's grasp. "Xelloss!"

"Looks like I made it just in time again," he said to her, giving her a wink. He saw her blush shyly, though it was in the way the old Lina he knew would.

"A-Anyway, who are you exactly?" she asked the bound Rosa.

Rosa tried to kick Lina, but found that her legs didn't quite reach that far. "I already told you! My name is R-O-S-A," she answered with a high emphasis on her name.

"Lina-san meant to ask you how you know about her," Xelloss commented.

She sneered at him and responded, "Everyone knows about her. You don't think people wouldn't know about the person that destroyed the world do you, Juushinkan Xelloss?"

"Hmm...So you know who I am too?" he inquired.

"That's because you're the reason why our world was destroyed," she muttered too low for either to hear. She then tried to squirm out of his grasp, but to no avail.

Lina stood up and walked over to them, staggering here and there from the loss of blood. She felt her consciousness slipping away from her, but she wanted to know one thing beforehand. "Who or what exactly are you?!" she demanded, snatching Rosa's sunglasses off with her bloodied hand. "Odd..." she thought, "She looks so familiar..."

The questions stopped there, and realization hit her with one swift blow. Her knees gave way, and uncharacteristically, she fainted.

That girl from the future...

Was her daughter...

And...

She was part mazoku.

* * *

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	14. Chapter 06

The Slayers : Legacy of Darkness 

_Chapter 06_

* * *

There was a young lady standing on the beach, staring off into the sunset while humming a soft melody. The last rays of the sun reflected off her hair, tinting it somewhat crimson in shade. The ocean water lapped at her ankles, burying her toes beneath the sand as it rolled back out. She turned as she heard a small child calling out her name, running towards her with her hands held out in glee.

The woman, however, was crying.

Lina sat up in bed, shoving the covers away from her body instinctively. She was breathing and perspiring heavily. What was the meaning behind that dream? Where did it come from? From what she could see, that lady didn't resemble anyone she knew, nor did the child. It looked more like a random dream that had nothing to do with the real world. Though, Lina rarely ever had any non-prophetic dreams that would actually make sense, so that would mean...

Lina looked up as the door opened and Ameria stepped through, cautiously at first, then a little more forward. "You finally woke up, Lina-san," she stated. Lina merely nodded and swung her legs over the side of her bed. She then realized that all she was wearing was a long, white nightgown. She grimaced slightly when she noticed it was somewhat see through, suddenly longing for her own clothes.

"If you're wondering where your clothes are, we had to take them off for cleaning and mend the cut," Ameria answered before she could ask the question. "We should have them back soon..."

That's right. What happened to her wound? Lina touched her right arm where the wound had been inflicted. It was wrapped in a clean, white bandage. "Oh, don't worry too much about that cut. Zelgadiss-san and Gourry-san stood watch while I healed you with my magic," Ameria said, beaming.

"I see... By the way, where are they?" Lina inquired, walking over to the girl.

"Gourry-san, Zelgadiss-san, and Xelloss-san are talking to hat girl right now in the room across the hall..." she said as she opened the door wider so Lina could see which room she was referring to.

Lina froze in place. That girl couldn't possibly be... "Girl?"

Ameria brought a finger to the corner of her mouth and looked upward in thought. "I think her name was Rosa or something of the sort..."

Lina immediately squeezed by Ameria through the wood-lined doorway and stormed through the other door. Everyone in that room glanced up at her, surprised to see her so full of energy so soon. She scanned the room, and her eyes settled on Rosa who sat between Xelloss and Zelgadiss. She stomped over to the red-eyed girl and stared right into the resisting face, inspecting it. She was right last night about the child, even though she couldn't see the details of her face in the darkness. The only difference was in the eyes - Lina's were round and belonged to a human while Rosa's were thin and belonged to a mazoku.

"Could you please stop doing that?" Rosa requested, leaning as far back in her chair as she could. Her glare was solid, hiding the secrets in her eyes as well as she could. She highly reminded Lina of someone else she knew, though it took her a few seconds to realize the expression belonged to Zelgadiss. She scowled, crossed her arms and legs, and turned around. "I need a chair," she said in a nonchalant tone.

Xelloss and Zelgadiss stood up simultaneously, though Zelgadiss stopped after noticing and sat back down. His eyes followed Lina as she walked over to the chair Xelloss held out for her and sat down, her eyes closed in agitation all the while. She crossed her legs tightly and kept her arms over her chest to prevent any curious eyes. Rosa scoffed at the entire display, and Gourry glanced at her with a confused look. Xelloss looked neutral; his face and actions weren't displaying any feelings at the moment.

Lina muttered a few curses to herself, wondering why they didn't have any more clothes for her. Thank god it wasn't "that time of month", though it should be coming soon. That wouldn't be good; they might have to delay checking the Faery's Tear out for a few days.

Rosa drummed her fingers on the back of her chair, waiting somewhat impatiently for someone to say something. Her gaze traveled the room and settled on Zelgadiss. "Hmm...So this is the 'Stone Boy'..." she thought, looking him over a bit. "Not bad. I can see why mom and dad were attracted to him...and he's really tasty too," she remarked silently, savoring his annoyance. She then glanced over at Gourry, who was drifting off to sleep at that very moment. A small fret mark appeared on her forehead, and she wondered how a person could fall asleep at such a time, much less how a person could stand someone like that.

Her attention flew instantly over to where Lina was sitting at the present. Lina looked like she was talking to herself, though judging by the look on her face, she was most likely trying to make the longest word-string with her "potty-talk" vocabulary. Rosa noticed the gloves resting on either side of Lina's chair, and followed the arms to the face...

The face that was staring straight back at her.

Rosa's eyes flickered a bit, pupils becoming round like a human's for a moment or two out of reflex. She then noticed he had his eyes open and meant to speak to her honestly. Cautiously, she let her pupils thin up again, bringing the mazoku-type look back. After a quick glance to make sure Lina wasn't watching them, she made full eye contact with him.

_Who are you...exactly...?_

_What you mean my full name? Rosetta Tiara Inverse._

_So...you're Lina-san's child, aren't you?_

_Yeah, unfortunately._

_Oh._

_Figured out who "daddy" is yet?_

_I'll give you a hint; he's in this room._

_Stop joking around._

_I got that from you._

_What now?_

_I still find it...hard to believe._

_Yeah, yeah. Let's just say that she needed a push in the right direction._

_That's still not like her. Lina-san would never...give in._

_Yeah she would. I'm proof. My sisters could make you believe it, too._

Ameria walked over to Zelgadiss and sat down on the floor beside him. He was instantly standing, forfeiting his chair for her to take. She smiled at him gratefully, then eased into the vacant seat. After looking around the room to check for any activity, she commented, "This is really getting nowhere fast."

Zelgadiss merely nodded his agreement as he looked between Lina and Rosa. There was something odd about the two...their faces looked almost identical. Rosa was staring at Lina...but Lina was gazing down? Something was wrong about this picture...Lina doesn't look down from anyone. He looked at Rosa again. Odd, how could she be communicating through her eyes if Lina didn't see them? No, wait. He followed the path of her gaze a little more carefully this time and realized she had actually been looking at Xelloss. So they were communicating using a mazoku language? And the only reason Zelgadiss could see was because he was part mazoku too?

"Sisters?!"

All pairs of eyes turned to Xelloss, glaring at him for ruining the peace and saying something they thought just came out of the blue. Rosa looked around the ceiling innocently, while Xelloss sweatdropped and waved his hand in a motion that told them to just ignore it. Ameria went back to counting the cracks in the wooden floor, Gourry went back to the so-sleepy-that-my-head-keeps-bobbing form, Zelgadiss continued to spy on their conversation unnoticed, and Lina now dropped her head in deep thought.

_Not so loud!_

_Umm...how many sisters do you have?_

_That's a secret!_

_Fine...then..._

"Would you two stop talking directly to one another?! It's pissing me off to know that secrets are being shared right around me," Lina snapped at the two, then gave Zelgadiss a quick glare for not doing anything about it in the first place. She looked at Rosa and suggested, "Why don't you tell them what's going on?"

Rosa's mouth slanted. "Them too?" she asked, pointing at Zelgadiss, Ameria, and Gourry.

"Yes, them too," she ordered.

Rosa pouted, then muttered under her breath too low for anyone else to hear, "Damn it, I wasn't supposed to let anyone else but dad know about this... Mom already figured it out (duh) and now I have to tell the others too...?" Dark blue shrouds appeared around her head. "Why me?"

"Well?" Lina was getting rather impatient. Her wound wasn't helping too much, and not being able to beat the living daylight out of something because of her injury wasn't too great either. She had to vent her frustration out somehow, though, so she stood up and smashed the chair she had been sitting on, breaking it into multiple pieces and sending the unsuspecting priest down with it. She brushed excess dust off of her hands, smiling at her handiwork and said, "Ah – that felt good!"

Xelloss rubbed the back of his head where he had hit the ground. There was a large red mark where the plank had hit him, and he fingered it lightly before fixing the wound. He looked up and realized he had a rather good view of Lina's...

"Hentai," Lina muttered, punching her fist into his face. A dark blush crept along her cheeks as she stepped away from him, letting him fall to the floor. She leaned up against the wall, crossing her legs and arms again. "Well?" she said, trying to urge Rosa into stealing attention from her.

Rosa cleared her throat, though her eyebrow twitched in annoyance. She glanced at Xelloss for his approval to go on. He nodded at her, now fingering the cross Band-Aid on his nose. She sighed, wondering how those two ever got along long enough to have children. "Well..." she began, "I suppose you all are wondering what my connection to you is."

The three uninformed ones nodded. "Why does your face look exactly like Lina's? And are you a mazoku?" Zelgadiss asked directly.

Rosa rolled her eyes. "No Stone Boy, I'm one hundred percent elephant and just look like a mazoku," she replied with sarcasm. "Actually if you're being specific, I'm only one-half mazoku. The other half of me is human."

Zelgadiss glared at her for the name remark. She was getting on his nerves, fast. She was quite like a female version of Xelloss actually; they both knew just exactly how to tick him off. "Never mind that! Answer the first question already!" he demanded.

Rosa bit her lip in hesitation and gave Lina a pleading look. She really didn't want to let them know, especially not Zelgadiss. He would be the main root of annoyance if he knew she was related to Xelloss, and he'd probably boil over the edge to know that Lina ended up with him in the end. Lina simply sharpened her look, somewhat like a parent, and used her eyes to tell her to continue. Rosa had to push a little whimper back into her throat; she didn't want to tick the younger version of her mom off. She took a deep breath. "Well...she's...my future mother..."

"EHHHHHHHHH?!!!" All three screamed at the same time. Ameria held one hand trembling near her gaping mouth as she pointed at Rosa. Gourry had fallen backwards over his chair and started to get up slowly, rubbing the back of his head as he did so. Zelgadiss had jumped a good ten feet back, right into the wall. Rosa blushed furiously and tapped the floor a little bit with her feet like a small child would do.

Ameria's eyes were wide and awestricken. "Is it...is it..."

Rosa bowed her head. "It's true."

There was a very loud gasp, then a moment of silence as a breeze blew by outside. The silence ended when the tree branches outside hit the window, causing Ameria to utter a loud, ear-breaking scream.

After they recovered from the minor shock, the interrogation continued with Gourry fanning the unconscious, swirly-eyed Ameria who had used up too much oxygen in such a short time for that outburst. "Well..." Gourry began, "what's wrong with Lina being a mother?"

The other four conscious people facefaulted. Gourry just blinked at all of them like a clueless puppy and found himself in contact with a pink slipper. It bounced off his cheek and knocked him tumbling backwards, then returned to Lina's hand via spinning power. Xelloss pointed at it curiously and inquired, "Where did you get that from?"

She put that hand behind her back and brought it back into view. The slipper was gone. "As for how it is done..." She brought a finger up and winked. "That's a secret!"

Zelgadiss, Rosa, and Xelloss did a doubletake.

"Anyway..." Ameria began, now awake again, but never got to finish her sentence due to Zelgadiss's interruption.

"Who's the father?"

Ameria elbowed him and gave him a meaningful stare. He just looked away and shrugged as if he didn't care. It wasn't really the rudeness of his interruption that bothered her; after all, it was his style to just say things without thinking. Rather, it was the question he asked that was biting at her, and she wasn't too sure if she wanted to know who it was anyway. Rosa's eyes either meant she was killed and reborn a mazoku or it was a trait she got from her father... And the only two candidates in this room would be Xelloss or Zelgadiss...

Her heart would be torn to shreds if she found out it was Zelgadiss, especially since she was still so attached to him.

She smiled and sweatdropped on his behalf. "Umm...what I was trying to say was, do you have any proof that Lina-san is your mother? I mean, sure I can see the resemblance, but do you have any solid proof...? You may just be a well-disguised imposter after all!" she declared, glaring at Rosa with her Justice-will-show-me-the-truth glare.

Rosa was quite taken aback and surprised. "Uhh..."

"Hmm? What was that you were saying? I can't quite hear you..." Ameria cupped a hand around her ear and leaned in towards Rosa. A few tick marks appeared on Rosa's head. She was just about to scream a retort into Ameria's ear when Lina stood up straight from her leaning position.

"Ameria..." she said, looking directly at the princess. "Do you remember...what I said I saw in the future...why I tried to keep on living...when Kopii Rezo died?"

Ameria blinked, wondering why that would have anything to do with what was happening. "I think you said ' a flower whose name I don't know yet'?"

Lina nodded, then glanced at Rosa who was slightly to Ameria's left. "You...have an older sister named Nadeshiko, don't you?"

Rosa seemed mildly surprised. "Yes I do...how...?"

Lina smiled half-heartedly. "I always wanted children... I never knew why, though. It might be that their innocent faces while they run around outside make me feel warm and happy..." The smile looked faker as she continued to talk. "But... I had already decided to name my children after flowers, if I ever had any, since they resemble a flower in bloom..." She looked up at Rosa. "Nadeshiko flowers were always my favorite because they bloomed every year in our backyard... Roses were always my second favorite because one usually gives them to a loved one, and I had always hoped-"

There was an unnerving silence, now possible since Gourry was still out from the slipper slap. Zelgadiss, Ameria, and Xelloss stood aghast. They had always thought Lina hated the idea of motherhood and would never settle down and bear children. Not only would she have one child...but two?

Rosa cleared her throat loud enough to wake them up. "Well... What now?"

"Who's the father?"

Four heads turned to the source of the voice – Zelgadiss. Rosa's face was indifferent, Ameria seemed a bit hurt, Xelloss chewed on his bottom lip in dread and anxiety, and Lina looked a tad bit frightened. Trust Zelgadiss to be stubborn and ask the question again, but this was...

"I can't tell you that," Rosa put strictly.

He growled threateningly and took a step forward, but Ameria held him back from taking any more. "Zelgadiss-san," she said, grabbing his arm lightly and standing in his path. "Please think about what you are asking." She took a quick glance in Lina's direction and noticed her unconsciously embrace herself for the tiny bit of comfort it offered. A little more frantically, Ameria reiterated, "Please, Zelgadiss-san! Think about Lina-san's feelings!"

He turned to her fiercely. "Aren't you worried about this as well?!" he shouted. "What if Lina just made a bad decision? Or worse, what if she got _raped_?!" He didn't realize how harsh he sounded at the moment, or how Ameria winced and backed away from him. In one last violent outburst, he yelled, "Don't you understand? If we find out what happened then maybe we can prevent-!"

"Shut up!" Rosa screamed, infuriated. She was about to curse at him when Lina cut in.

"It's ok! It's ok...!" She had a sad look in her eyes that perplexed the others. "I'll leave so that I don't have to hear." She turned her back to them and paused for a moment, then took off out the doorway, leaving her very stunned comrades behind.

"Ah...! But...it's raining outside..." Ameria commented a little too late. She held a hand to her heart and looked out the window, noting silently how dark and dreary it was.

Xelloss started walking to the door, but Zelgadiss caught his shoulder. "You're going after her...aren't you..."

The priest shrugged the forceful hand off effortlessly. "Do you even need to ask?"

His eyes narrowed. "I don't trust you..."

Xelloss took a few more steps and stopped with his and on the edge of the doorway. He looked back at the chimera with both of his eyes revealed to add to the sincerity of his voice. "I never expected you to."

Zelgadiss scowled on the inside, though he merely folded his arms and added in all due seriousness, "Don't hurt her."

His mouth curved upward slightly, though his eyes remained open. Zelgadiss's affection for the sorceress was well known to him – solely to him. Lina was blind to this show of emotion, and Zelgadiss was confused about it himself; though would have never gotten anything going between them without help. It was similar to the situation she had with Gourry and himself as well...

Xelloss stepped out the door, waving at them as he left. "You don't have to worry about that..." he whispered just barely audible even to Zelgadiss's enhanced hearing. They stood quietly, listening to his fading footsteps, then hearing the last soft tap before they altogether disappeared.

Lina tried to wipe her tears off on her soaked sleeve, though it was rather difficult to do and only ended up making her frustrated. Her bare feet splashed in cold puddles as she ran, but she didn't care. Her white garment clung to her body now, fully transparent and inviting to peepers.

Her vision was very blurred, and so she eventually tripped over a rock and fell. She lay there with her face in her arms for a while, sobbing, wondering why this had to happen to her...

She got up, then realized her right arms stung rather badly. Her fingers lightly trailed along the wound, then held themselves before her face.

Blood. The wound was open.

"Damn. It." She swore, then carried herself over to the nearest wall and sat down against it, grasping her arm in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding, though blood fell from her legs as well. She closed her eyes and turned her face up to the sky, letting the rain fall freely onto her cheeks.

At this rate...she may die...

Her eyes shot open. Die? Her? Lina Inverse? Impossible! ...Right? Though...if she did, by any chance, die here...the suffering...would be gone...

She was purged out of her thoughts when a gentle hand rested on her shoulder. She glanced at it weakly. "Xelloss...?"

He had a firm look to his eyes. "You will NOT die here... Not since I'm here with you." He stared into her wide, shocked eyes for a moment, then picked her up and ran down the street with her in his arms.

There was a small shack down at the end. It looked sturdy enough, but he was unsure of the resources it would provide. "Guess we'll have to make do..." he thought, and ran over to it.

Zelgadiss sat down in a chair and folded his arms. "Well...can you tell us who your father is now?"

Rosa closed her eyes for a while, then looked to the side with an unamused look to her eyes. "No. Though...I'm sure by now you can make an intelligent guess..." she replied.

"You mean Lina actually went and did It with Xelloss twice?" Zelgadiss asked, astounded by the idea.

Rosa facefaulted. She slowly got back up, holding onto the back of a nearby chair for support. "Well if you want to put it that way..."

Zelgadiss and Ameria glanced at each other, both looking rather surprised. "Are you sure it wasn't for sexual reasons... I mean Xelloss," Zelgadiss interrogated.

"Hmm. Well he looks pretty head over heels for her now... So I'm pretty sure it was out of 'love'." She sat down and crossed her legs and arms just as Lina had done earlier. "Besides, I don't think someone would have and bring up four kids just because they wanted to have sex..."

The two pairs of eyes widened simultaneously. "Four?!"

"Uh huh. And I think she had a miscarriage when I was little..."

Both listeners sat dumbfounded. After a moment or two, Ameria asked, "Think it's the right time to scream now, Zelgadiss-san?"

He shut the door behind them, placed her frail body down on the bench, and looked around for something to start a fire with.

"Xelloss?"

"Take your clothes off."

"What?!"

"You're going to catch a cold like that. Take your clothes off."

"But..."

"I won't look if you don't want me to. Just do it." He continued to sort through the things on the shelves in the dark. So far...nothing that could be burnt. Just old jars with remedies and whatnot...

"Xelloss?"

"What?"

"I'm cold."

"I'm working on that."

"...Xelloss."

"Wh-" He suddenly felt her body press against his back, her hands situated on his shoulders along with her head. He withdrew his hand from the open drawer. "Lina-san..."

"I'm _cold._"

"...That's why I'm looking for something to burn a fire with, Lina-san."

"I don't need a fire..."

"..."

"Xelloss...your back is really warm..."

He turned around and caught her as she fell, and he sat down with her bare legs between his. Her hands pressed against his chest and her head found a nice spot to relax in at the curve of his neck.

"...Lina-san?"

"...Mm?"

"Are you okay?"

"...I think I may be dying."

It was then that he noticed the droplets of blood she left on the floor behind her. He took his hands off of her arms in surprise and noticed the stain on his left glove.

"Your wound reopened?"

"Mm'hmm... Ameria didn't do a very good job did she?"

"Lina...this isn't something to take lightly."

"I'm going to die now anyway...does it matter?"

"You're not going to die."

"Yes I am. Then no one will suffer anymore."

"You can't say that...it's not true. All of us will suffer..."

"Who wants a cold-hearted idiot sorceress like me?"

"I do."

"..."

He ran his fingers through her hair. "Lina...I'm going to transfer some of my 'blood' into you... It's only going to stay there until your wounds are healed. Accept it...please?"

"..."

"Lina?"

"...I can hear your heart beating faster...why?"

"Because I'm worried."

"What is there to be worried about?"

"I don't want you to die...not here...not now..."

"...You...want me that much?"

"..."

She closed her eyes and completely relaxed against his warmth. "...Alright."

He sighed in relief. His dark aura surrounded them both, but illuminated both bodies nevertheless.

"Xelloss?"

"Yes, Lina-san?"

"You're doing it again..."

"What?"

"The formality. I don't like it."

"But I respect you, so it's natural!"

"...Someone like Ameria I could understand, but you...?"

"You'll understand someday, Lina-san."

She pinched his arm. "You're too complicated to understand."

"So are you!"

"I give up!"

"So quickly? That's unlike you!"

"Fruitcake."

"Why, thank you!"

"Namagomi."

"Now...that's low."

She giggled tiredly. "Can I call you 'Gomi-chan' from now on?"

"NO."

"Just teasing."

"Are you sure my blood isn't getting to your head?"

"Yup! I'm not nearly as loopy as you!"

"Hey..."

She kissed his surprised face on the cheek. "By the way...umm...how do I say this..."

"...?"

"...Thanks," she whispered before falling asleep in his arms.

A smile slowly spread across his lips, and he hugged her tightly. His right iris turned ruby, and her left iris turned amethyst as the black aura receded.

* * *

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	15. Chapter 07

The Slayers : Legacy of Darkness 

_Chapter 07_

* * *

"Do you think we should look for them?" Ameria asked worriedly. She took a glimpse at the window and noticed that the sun was setting rapidly. The moon would be out soon...though, according to what she had heard from others at the festival last night, the moon wouldn't shine tonight since it had expended all of its "energy" the night before.

"No, don't interrupt," Rosa ordered. She was sitting on the floor, back against a wall, arms propped up on her knees, hands hanging down. She was staring up at the ceiling, obviously tired from her burden. Her mouth curved into a small smirk and she added, "Besides, we don't want to 'walk in on them' now do we?" She gave the two a wink with that comment, hinting them on.

Basketball-size sweatdrops slid down the sides of their heads. "No... We had better not, then."

Lina shivered a bit, then opened her eyes. The room was rather dark now; the only light came from the small embers dancing around the pile of ashes in the middle of the room. She reached up to make sure nothing was there first, then, after checking thoroughly, sat up.

Her body was still unclothed. Her reflexes forced her arms over her chest and knees up in front of her. That was when she felt a pile of fabric lying at her feet. At first she thought it was a dry change of clothes, but after her eyes fully adjusted to the darkness, she realized it was actually Xelloss's cloak...

Xelloss! Where had he gone anyway? She looked behind her and found only a wall there to greet her. Her head spun back around and she scanned the room frantically for him.

Lina calmed down when she saw him sitting on the other side of the room. From what she could see, he seemed to be sleeping. "So mazoku actually do sleep...?" she thought as she stood up, holding the cloak in front of her chest and letting it hang down to the floor. She walked timidly over to him, afraid to wake him up if he really was sleeping. Bending over carefully and making sure her hair wouldn't fall into his face, she saw that his eyes were, indeed, closed and that his mouth was open ever so slightly as tiny snores escaped him. She giggled silently, then moved over and sat against the wall beside him.

She could feel her face heat up as she watched him. This must have been what he had been doing just earlier, for he was situated where he would have no trouble watching her over the flame. She edged closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder like she had done with Gourry so long ago...

Yes, it did seem so long ago. She had never confessed to the blonde swordsman, doubting and fearing that he would not truly understand what she would mean by the words, I love you. That brain was so dense, after all. Now she was almost positive that her interest in the big oaf was just a silly little crush – no big deal. Besides, he probably wasn't interested in her anyway... She was much younger than him and had nothing to look at...

She closed her eyes and pulled the cloak over her shoulders, then placed her hand lightly on Xelloss's arm. He made her feel warm...not only on the outside, but deep inside her heart as well. Gourry never gave her this kind of feeling... He made her worry about his feelings all the time. He had always treated her as a child after all... Maybe that's all she ever was to him – a child in need of his protection.

Xelloss was different. When he just told her he respected her, she realized that he had always treated her as an equal, despite his being so much older than she was. He obviously knew more than she did as well; he had first-hand experience in things she had only heard about in legends and tales.

How old was he, anyway? He had to be over one thousand and fifteen since he had been in the Kouma-sensou. She'd have to ask him that later. Yet, despite all those years of living, he still kept his physical form the same...

She...her body hadn't aged at all for about six years now... Had she stopped growing? Would she able to die someday from old age or would she live for eternity like Xelloss would...?

Trapped forever in this body...a rather frightening idea...but, as long as she had somebody beside her, it wouldn't be too horrid, right?

She felt weary after all that thinking. Snuggling closer to Xelloss, her eyes drifted shut once more, and she lost herself to a dream.

"They're still not back..."

Ameria lay in bed on her right side, covers pulled up just below her eyes. The room was flooded in darkness for it was now well into the night. She felt her arm begin to go numb from being squished beneath her body so long and rolled over onto her left side in a weak attempt to reduce the pain. After a couple minutes of holding that position, she rolled onto her stomach and pulled the pillow over her head.

"Zelgadiss-san really...cares a lot about Lina-san..."

Her tiny whimpers partitioned her breathing pattern, and she suddenly longed for her home in Saillune. Her chest felt as if it was being cleft; her heated crying burned holes into her heart. She knew...Zelgadiss cared much more for Lina than anyone else, for she had been his first true friend. And yet, even knowing that, she still...

"I'm an idiot..." she sobbed into her pillow, grasping the edges tightly and pulling the pillow down forcefully, nearly suffocating herself in the process. She writhed beneath her sheets, wanting so badly to be rid of her agony. Her knees and feet burned from having rubbed against the sheets so fervently, the skin now red and raw. Never before had she ever felt so compelled to hurt herself...never before had she ever felt so much anguish...

"Ameria? Are you alright in there?"

Her wails turned to silence and her eyes shot back open. It was he, but she did not wish to see him then. Choking back her hiccups, she responded, "I-I'm fine. Thank you for checking on me, Zelgadiss-san..."

There was a brief moment of silence. "Can I come in?"

She nearly panicked as she quickly wiped her eyes and threw pillows over the sodden spot her tears had made. Convincing herself twice that she was decent enough to be considered normal, she answered, "Sure."

His shoulders were already sagging as he stepped in, feet seeming to be the only thing propelling him forward. His eyes looked down in sympathy at her, seemingly begging for forgiveness as he stared into her bloodshot eyes. "Can I...sit down here?"

She forced a smile unto her face and replied mechanically, "Sure."

Zelgadiss frowned a bit as he sat down beside her. He stared at the wall as she stared at the ground, neither saying nor asking about anything for the time being.

The silence ended when he told her, "I could hear you crying."

Despite the urges to break down once again, she kept her cheerful face up and responded, "Oh, you could? I tried to keep quiet, but I guess it was still too loud." Her bottom lip trembled as she spoke, and she sniffled during pauses.

"Ameria...you know...I don't..."

"Yes. Yes, I know." Tears slid down her cheeks and landed in her lap, but she continued to smile to the best of her ability. Zelgadiss reached over and gently brushed a few droplets away with his forefinger, but the attempt to try and stop them only resulted in causing more to cascade down her face. "Please don't be kind to me out of sympathy..." she requested softly.

He frowned again and cupped his right hand around her cheek. "Ameria... I like you a lot, really...but it's not the same... You understand, don't you?" he questioned her, caressing her face lightly despite the coarseness of his stone hands.

She pursed her lips, gaining a somewhat melancholy and serious look to her former facade. "I understand," she replied meekly.

His eyes softened as he pulled her into his lap and embraced her. "Thank you...for caring I mean... It's nice to know that someone cares... Makes me feel as though I can go on living..."

Ameria's tears fell in torrents from her eyes, and her cheeks burned red against Zelgadiss's shirt. Biting her lip to keep from wailing again, she grabbed his tunic and buried her face in it to soften her sniffling. He petted her head lightly; it was all he could do for her in this situation. He knew a broken heart hurt...much worse than hell, and he had wanted to let Ameria know he didn't return her feelings before she fell in love with him. Even so, the thought of inducing pain upon her made him feel awfully guilty inside...and he had not been able to conjure up the courage to speak to her like this until now. It was a little late...but it was better than having to reject her confession.

"Ameria... I'm sure you'll find someone worthy of you someday...someone who can support you to the fullest. You must keep searching..."

She nodded her reply sullenly, exhausted from so much weeping. Her grasp on his shirt was weakened considerably, and her head now rested in his lap.

"And...I'm sorry for making you cry."

She shook her head slowly. "I feel really, really pained right now, but..." Her gaze softened and her eyelids fell down further. "I think...right now...I feel very happy..."

Zelgadiss was a little surprised and withdrew his hand from her face for a second, then gave a small smile and continued to stroke her hair.

And, for once in his life, he felt content with what he had done.

"Lina-san...?"

"Lina-san?"

Lina growled and swiped at the hand that was on her shoulder. She was having a pleasant dream and didn't quite fancy the idea of waking up just yet.

"Oya oya...put in this kind of situation with Lina-san is rather hazardous, isn't it?" Xelloss commented softly so as not to wake her. Lina was sitting in his lap, nude, placing all her weight against him. Sure it would have been easy to pick her up with his mazoku strength, but without waking her up...? And if she didn't remember her actions...he was as good as dead.

It was still dark outside, so she would be asleep for a few more hours. It wasn't that he didn't like having her this close to him; she seemed so happy that it pained him and prevented him from getting any sleep. The fresh air seeping through from all the rain relaxed and lessened the effect on him, though.

He sighed in morose defeat, but smiled as he looked down at her sleeping face. Seeing how placid and harmless she looked now, no one would have ever guessed how disastrous her real face was. He'd just have to deal with whatever she might throw at him in the morning.

Zelgadiss had gone into Ameria's room after slinging the sleeping swordsman onto a bed. He hadn't come out since then, but that was fine; it wasn't anything to be concerned about.

Rosa lay in bed, awake and gazing ominously out the window with a pillow between her legs and thumbnail between her teeth. The strange feeling this city gave her while it was in this stage of darkness was monotonous; it reminded her of the future where the world had died.

She suddenly looked away from the window and up at the ceiling, still chewing angrily on her nail. "Won't do me any good to think right now... I'll just get mad again..." she thought, attempting to fall asleep. Finally, after being frustrated out of her mind, she turned her head sharply to the window again and created a thin, black cone to crash through it from the astral plane. "Damn it... Why was I the only one to survive...? Why couldn't it have been Nadeshiko or Violet...?" she muttered, watching the glass fall with a plain look.

Her eyes burned a fiery crimson shade, thin and menacing like a demon's eyes. She shut them in agitation and rolled over onto her stomach...

And was struck unconscious from behind.

By the time Ameria had completely quieted down, Zelgadiss had already been long past exhaustion. His head hurt, he needed sleep, but even if he tried he wouldn't be able to fall asleep. Thoughts plagued his mind, worries tormented his heart, and all this happened because of his stupid hunt for a cure.

Ironic, isn't it?

He hadn't even been present at the festival when Tsunami presented the Faery's Tear to the people; he had seen Xelloss carrying Lina, unconscious, in his arms. The only odd thing about that picture was that he had seen what appeared to be another Lina following him. Needless to say, Zelgadiss had been very curious and stumped as to what was going on, so he trailed after them. With the crowd's attention focused on the exhibit, it was no challenge to get around.

Xelloss had found him out not too long afterwards. After all, Zelgadiss's aura must have shouted fury at the time, so for a mazoku that would have been very easy to notice. What surprised him though, was that the girl had already seemed to know of his presence...without Xelloss's help. What surprised him even more was that, rather than that usual smug look Xelloss had on his face when a plan worked out for him, his eyes reflected something that looked like fright. And, for a second, Zelgadiss almost thought he looked...human...

And finally, he realized what he had overheard the night before had been very much true.

So, at the time, he found himself pushing through people to find Gourry and Ameria. With a combined healing spell, he and Ameria were able to keep Lina from losing any more blood as Xelloss and Gourry both looked on anxiously, one aware of the other's feelings, the other completely oblivious to both. Lina's eyes had opened for a second that time, and the first person she looked at...

Was Xelloss.

What happened afterwards was more of a blur to Zelgadiss. Follow Xelloss. Find the inn. Find a room. Place Lina on bed. Leave Ameria to tend to her. Head out back. Head out into forest. Sit against tree. Wallow in self-pity.

He knew Xelloss really liked Lina, no, he _loved_ that sorceress. He would most certainly do anything for her as long as it didn't conflict with his master's intentions. His master's...intentions?

That sublord's pattern in orders was hard to predict, but what if...she gave an order that called for...Lina Inverse's...extrication...? What would Xelloss do then...?

Zelgadiss was alerted to his senses when he felt another presence enter the room. He gently moved Ameria off of his lap and onto her bed, then stood up and glanced around the room carefully, preparing a Mono Bolt spell in his mind.

Nothing, but the ominous air lingered. Slowly he sat back down, still looking around him carefully for any movement or sign.

But he wasn't able to catch the hovering shadow behind him that succeeded in quietly knocking him out.

The sun was just starting to rise when Lina began to awaken. Slowly she opened an eyelid, and after blinking the bright colors out of her vision, sat up.

"X-X-X-Xelloss?!" she all but screamed as she edged away from him, cloak held in front of her body. She was about to beat the living daylights out of him when she remembered what had happened, and in turn, blushed.

Xelloss woke up at the mention of his name and turned to her groggily. "Hmm...Lina-san?"

"Ah! Nothing, nothing!" she replied frantically, looking for a way out of the odd situation.

Xelloss paused, then began to smile. "Looks like you're okay again."

Lina stopped and stared at him blatantly. "Umm...yes..." It took a couple of seconds for her to realize what seemed different about him. "What happened to your eyes?"

"Hmm? Oh...you should see your eyes, then you'd understand."

She blinked at him quizzically, then suddenly felt a large need for a mirror. "Ne, can we go back to the inn? I need a change of clothes and I bet the others are wondering what happened to us."

He looked slightly taken aback by the abrupt request. "Well... I guess so. But how are you going to get around like that?" he asked, pointing at her current attire.

Her cheeks burned red again. "Well I thought you could just teleport us both back or something..."

He shook his finger at her. "That only works if I'm touching whatever needs to be...anou, Lina-san?"

She latched herself to him, arms around his waist and face against his chest. "Hurry up," she muttered into the cloth, trying to hide her obvious embarrassment.

He blinked at her a couple times, then started laughing.

"Just do it!"

"Hai, hai Lina-san."

"And stop laughing!"

"Hai"

"I said stop laughing!"

Lina immediately jumped away from Xelloss when they arrived back at the inn. She crossed her arms and turned her back to him. "That's the last time I let you do that." Remembering the matter at hand, she retreated behind her door. "Check on the others while I change would you?"

Xelloss gave a small smile at her antics. From what he saw now, she had only gone through a short, momentary shock earlier. It was nothing to be concerned about any longer. Though, checking on the rest of the group shouldn't be necessary since Zelgadiss could probably tell they were back...

For that matter, where was the chimera? He should have come out by now...

Frowning slightly, he turned around and walked down the hallway a bit to the room they had just left the day before. He knocked curiously on the door, then merely entered the room when nobody answered. He glanced around the room cautiously to make sure no villagers were there, then stepped through.

There was something peculiar about the air. It was a heaviness he recognized, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He sat down on the edge of the bed to think, but didn't quite get past the thought when he noticed the slip of paper sitting beneath his right hand. He picked it up and quickly read over it, face darkening as he imagined the voice whom it belonged to...

Lina floated across the room to the dresser, certainly in higher spirits since the day before. She opened the wooden doors and was relieved to find a pair of silky, white pajamas. Slipping quietly into them, she heard a knock on the door just as she began buttoning her shirt up. "Xelloss?"

"Yes?"

She smiled slightly as she fastened the last button and turned around. Treading lightly over, she opened the door and said, "Come in." Though, after seeing his serious expression, she asked, "Something wrong?"

Rather than saying anything, he simply handed her the message and sat down on the side of the bed, placing his staff down across the bedding. He watched her face as she stepped away from the door and paced right down the room, studying the note. He saw a wave of confusion, then fear flow throughout her expression and couldn't help but interrogate, "What do you make of it?"

She stopped at the corner, turned to face him, and bluntly stated, "I can't read the symbols..." while pointing childishly at the tiny slip of paper she had been so engrossed in just earlier.

He sweatdropped at her act, then gestured for her to bring it over. She obeyed and sashayed over to him. After handing over the crumpled note, she took a seat beside him. "Sensei, I'm ready to learn! By the way, why is one of my eyes violet like yours?"

He fiddled with the wad of paper she handed to him, trying to find a way to unravel it again without ripping it to shreds. "Proof of blood bonding," he answered simply, sighing as a fragment of the paper got torn off.

"Oh." She couldn't say that it was the answer she was expecting since she didn't know that blood bonds left marks like these. She giggled slightly at his frustration, then inquired, "Having trouble with that?"

Xelloss mock-glared at her, then tossed it away. "You did that on purpose didn't you..."

"Maybe," she replied as she stretched and fell backwards onto the large bed. "Well what did it say? Or did you forget?"

"I'm not Gourry-san," he stated firmly, feeling slightly offended by the remark.

A small part of her carefree expression faded as she looked away towards the wall. "Of course you aren't. Jellyfish-brains can't remember anything important I say."

Xelloss stared at her for a short while, wanting to ask something but refraining from doing so. It wasn't the time or place for that. "Lina-san, Gourry-san and the others have been...are being held hostage as we speak."

She was much more attentive now. "What?! By whom?"

His voice got softer. "That's the thing. It seems as though Kai-ou-sama is responsible for this..."

"Kai-ou..." Her face tightened as she thought, trying to remember who that was. Suddenly her expression darkened. "You mean..."

He nodded slowly. "Deep Sea Dolphin-sama..."

"Why can't the mazoku race just leave me alone..." she whined, masking any evident fear. She rolled completely onto her side, hands curled into fists by her head and knees bent. She chewed on her bottom lip as she lay still, licking it occasionally when it started to feel numb.

She wanted to know why they couldn't leave her alone? It was because the young sorceress posed a threat to his kind, though he was sure that some mazoku were interested in her, to say the least. He couldn't tell her that though... However, in this case of events, Lina was probably not their target... He was almost sure that he was the intended target. If Lina went with him, she would most likely get caught as well and just create another problem. Though, the possibility of Lina agreeing not to go was pretty much close to nil. She'd force it on him if she had to.

"Ne, Xelloss?"

"Yes, Lina-san?"

A pause. "Do you suppose...she was kidnapped too...?" Her thought trailed off into the air. "Not like I'm worried or anything, but...

He frowned. "You can't mean that..."

She bit her thumbnail before continuing. "Of course I don't. Actually to tell you the truth, I think I could probably die right now from all this dread. But...no use worrying about it, right?"

His eyes opened at the sight of her shuddering back. Gently placing a hand on her upper arm, he murmured, "Lina-san...?"

She gave a small cry. "I really don't want to... I _really_ don't want to use it again... I _really, _really don't want to let It inside of me again..."

Was Lina...afraid? That wasn't possible was it? He edged closer to her, then suddenly realized that she was...crying...

"It doesn't bother me... It shouldn't bother me... Why would it bother me..." She quieted her sobs as well as she could, but found herself choking on words anyhow. "Usually... I would be fine... but everyone is..."

Xelloss pulled her to him, now lying on the bed behind her. "They're not dead," he assured her, pressing his cheek to the top of her head. There was no way their group could go down without a fight... These humans were just too...special. It wasn't just Lina Inverse the mazoku feared anymore. The Hikari no ken-bearing swordsman, the blood relative sorcerer of Akahoshi Rezo, and even the little Princess of Justice were all names that had begun to spread among his kind. They were each noteworthy to all races.

Lina placed a hand on Xelloss's arms, which had been wrapped around her neck and shoulders. It felt kind of odd actually...being comforted by a mazoku and all, but she still smiled her consent. "Xelloss...thank you..."

He smiled again from those words, and despite his obvious pain, still was able to embrace her tightly. He nuzzled the curve of her neck, breathing in that spring rain-like smell in her hair, then asked, "So what are you going to do?"

"What do you think I'm going to do? Gotta go save the others!" she declared, using that coy wink and grin that fit her all so well. Lina was Lina, through and through.

And Xelloss was glad to know that she would never change.

* * *

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	16. Chapter 08

The Slayers: Legacy of Darkness Chapter 8

* * *

Night fell rapidly, as though human hands themselves were speeding up the hands of time. The stage was set, the mood was right; the atmosphere remained eerie...

It was quiet – almost _too_ quiet. Lina would have liked to imagine that all the villagers were simply sleeping, but her intuition said otherwise. The people hadn't fallen asleep, no. Rather, they had all just..._disappeared_.

Chills ran up and down her spine. She felt that same distinct feeling of fear she had felt back in the village of Sairaag when Hellmaster was toying with all the souls there, and she inevitably felt nauseous from the remembrance of cold, bony hands reaching out in attempts to restrain her.

Paying no further heed to the anti-sorcerer law of the village since she no longer had anything to do with them (and honestly, at this point in time she could send honestly them all up in a shower of Dil Brand if she wanted to), Lina opened the metal trunk, provided by Amelia-hime of course, and removed her usual set of garments she had grown so accustomed to wearing...

Slipping out of the silky pajamas she had been wearing and slipping into her sorceress outfit, she finally realized how much she appreciated the feeling of the soft, stretchy fabric and the freedom of movement it allowed. Even that heavy cape felt good to have back on – the boots, gloves, and shoulder guards, too.

At last, she came to the final accessories. She stared at the pile of talismans she held in the palm of her hand, and, for the first time since she received them, admired the brilliance of the burning power held inside...

"Lina-san?" It was Xelloss's voice from outside the door.

"Just a second!" she shouted back, quickly clasping each talisman to their respectful places. She rushed over to the door and turned the knob, then jokingly asked, "How do I look?"

Xelloss smirked. "As hot as ever." Lina looked surprised at first, then realized the true meaning behind the words and tossed them aside to burn in a fireball later.

"Let's get going," she muttered precariously, stomping ahead of the mazoku. He merely shrugged and tagged along behind her...from a safe distance.

"WAH! I don't want to be _fish_ food!" Ameria whined from her spot in the air, hanging on by an iron chain that suppressed magic (think back to the episode in season one where Zangulus and that sorcerer chained Lina). She struggled, swinging her legs feverishly like a child would.

"Ameria calm down! You're making us drop lower," Zelgadiss noted wryly. He glanced over to his right, directly at Rosa. "Hey, are you okay over there?"

She lifted her head and replied snottily, "Do I _look_ okay to you?" Rosa appeared to be in the worst position out of the bunch – her chains were jagged and rusty, and blood from an open wound on her leg dripped down into the mouths of the hungry meat-eating fish that inhabited the tank below the four, much to her disgust. Her hair and clothes were mostly wet, which made her wonder what exactly happened during her period of unconsciousness...

Zelgadiss winced slightly at the remark. Of course she wasn't okay. It was stupid of him to even ask. "Sorry..."

"Anou na Zel... this isn't a good time to be doing that..." Gourry noted loudly, glancing down at the leaping fish that came close enough to bite their ankles. Ameria shrieked as she kicked one off her foot in panic.

"I would advise against that. You'll only anger the fish further," came a voice from the shadows. It was purely feminine, even with an air of grace and serenity flowing out with it.

All four heads turned in the direction the voice had come from (except Gourry, whose back faced that direction). "Who is it?" Rosa called out.

The figure emerged from the shadows and bowed politely. Her beautiful shining cerulean hair seemingly decorated by jewels but not, cascaded down over her shoulders, creating an image of a waterfall. Her dress was a plain light blue, made of the lightest, softest material one wouldn't find anywhere else. Her intricate jewelry and high-heels finished the overall touch, and a familiar seashell hung from a thread around her neck.

"My name is Tsurugi, named after the sword that kills." She kept her eyes closed as she straightened and tapped her staff against the stony ground in a very Rezo-like manner. The staff itself was pearly white and held a dark blue orb that flashed white when the staff touched the ground. The design was similar to Xelloss's, except hers looked to be made out of steel and was much more detailed. She then opened her eyes slowly, revealing light gray eyes that lacked pupils and made one feel as though he or she was being pulled into the endless void...

Now back to her usual loud self, Ameria yelled, "What are you going to do with us?"

Tsurugi's remorseful expression did not waver even once. "It is not _I_ that has business with you, but rather my master, Deep Sea Dolphin-sama..."

The three faces were filled with horror and shock simultaneously.

"Deep..." Ameria began.

"Sea..." Zelgadiss continued.

Rosa's look of horror transcended all others as she shakily finished, "Dolphin...?!"

Gourry managed to sandwich a clueless "Huh?" amidst the terror.

Lina glanced right and left as she walked on in the streets. Her alertness was fleeting, she whipped around at every sound...well, almost every sound.

Finally ticked off, she whirled around to face the grinning mazoku, fangs bared, ready to strike at any given moment. "WILL YOU STOP _WHISTLING_?!"

He held his hands up defensively. "But Lina-san! I was just trying to loosen the ten-!" His eyes suddenly flitted open, and he leapt forward, pulling the all-too-caught-off-guard Lina down with him just seconds before a Fuuma Shuriken (4-bladed large throwing weapon used by ninjas) whizzed by over their heads.

"Hmm, I see Xelloss still has his touch," a voice rang out as a presence made itself noticeable near a tree. She smirked at them as Xelloss picked himself off Lina, dusting his clothes and helping her up, not once shifting his eyes from the sorceress even to determine whom their attacker was.

Lina, on the other hand, got straight down to business. "Who's there?" she inquired to the darkness, senses keen once more.

"Just an old friend," the being replied mockingly as she emerged from the shadows. She crossed her arms and created a suave look about herself in the way she let some of her hair fall over her eyes.

Lina was unprepared to see this woman step out of the shadows and nearly toppled over backwards from the shock. "Tsunami?!"

Xelloss's eyes flew open again at that instant in recognition of the assaulter's name. He smirked crookedly and stepped forward, blocking Lina's view of Tsunami and vice-versa.

His human eye he received from Lina was tightly shut.

"Well, well, what have we here..." he commented, gazing at Tsunami with that calm, amused expression he almost always wore when facing those lower than he. Lina was unsuccessfully trying to see around him, obviously annoyed by his strange course of action. "I _do _hope you weren't intending on fighting _me_...or _her_ for that matter," he continued, indicating the sorceress standing behind him.

Tsunami grinned back. Her eyes matched those of Tsurugi's while she took this form – eyes that displayed no emotions. The lack of fear made Xelloss uneasier than usual, but he reminded himself that this was something he would have no problem dealing with.

Tsunami pushed her hair back, then placed both hands on her hips. "Of _course_ not. I wouldn't want to dirty my hands on the likes of _you_." Though her tone of voice hid it skillfully, she was ready to escape from the scene.

Xelloss chuckled lightly. "It's more like you wouldn't have a chance against me. If you had wanted to fight, you should have brought Tsurugi along with you."

Lina was slowly processing the words in her mind. "Tsurugi? A sword? No, they speak of it as though it's a person..." she thought silently. Looking to Xelloss with a suspicious glare in her eyes, she inquired, "What's this all about?"

He blinked. "You still haven't figured it out yet? She's-." He had only turned around for a second before Tsunami turned tail and ran, leaving a note pinned down to the ground by a single kunai (knife used by ninjas).

Xelloss glanced over his shoulder briefly, and, sure that she was out of sight, allowed his left eye to close. Continuing where he left off just seconds ago, he stated, "She's Dolphin-sama's general."

Falling out of her temporary trance, Rosa turned around and shouted, "Ameria! Gourry! Close your eyes and don't open them no matter what!"

"Wha?" they both answered at the same time.

"Just do it!" she snapped viciously, displaying some of her mother's temper.

Obediently (though more because they were frightened what the consequences of not obeying would be), they shut their eyes tightly. Zelgadiss glanced quizzically at Rosa, unable to determine the reason for the command.

She caught his gaze and explained, "Listen to me, _Stone boy_. We should be safe since we both have mazoku blood flowing through our veins, but if you begin to _feel your soul drift from your body_, close your eyes _immediately_. Got that?"

Though he didn't quite understand the situation before them, he nodded in compliance since she seemed to know more than he did. Inwardly, he hoped she didn't take after her father's sense of deception...

Tsurugi was astonished that the girl knew their secret. Walking up to Rosa in order to inspect her more carefully, she commented, "I see...so you're the daughter of-."

"Shut up!" Rosa snapped at her, shouting at the top of her lungs. Gourry, Ameria, and Zelgadiss all wore surprised expressions due to her sudden outburst and were equally curious to know why she dodged the subject so often.

Only Tsurugi was able to see the immense pain deep within Rosa's crimson eyes, and she decided not to provoke the girl any further. Backing away, she informed them, "The girl is smart. She knew and recognized our Sign."

"Sign?" Zelgadiss repeated. His attention was focused on Rosa, however, whose body had suddenly seemed to fall lifeless.

"Yes," Tsurugi replied calmly, closing her eyes. "You may open your eyes as long as mine are closed."

Ameria cautiously began to open her eyes when Zelgadiss scolded her. "Don't. It's probably a trap."

"Believe what you will," Tsurugi said, only to receive a scoff from the chimera. Her tone of voice and flow of words sounded so gentle, it was hard to believe that she was their enemy...or was she?

"Care to explain what this Sign is?" Zelgadiss asked not-so-kindly.

"It's the sign...of a mazoku driven to insanity..." she answered.

He cocked an eyebrow. "And?"

"Any non-mazoku eye that gazes into the eyes of those with the Sign will find their souls irreversibly lost to them forever..."

"Zel...do you understand anything she's saying?" Gourry asked too seriously.

Ameria looked thoughtful, or at least, as thoughtful as one could look with their eyes closed. "So that explains why Rosa-san told us to shut our eyes..."

Tsurugi nodded. "Be careful, all three of us carry the Sign."

Zelgadiss and Ameria spoke up simultaneously. "Three?"

"Yes." She paused. "The other two who carry the Sign are, of course, my master and _sister_."

"She's Dolphin-sama's _general_?!" Lina screeched, verbatim. Xelloss had his back turned to her, for he was busy examining the note. "How...?!"

"Odd."

Lina blinked. "Odd?"

Xelloss turned around and handed the note to her. "Look."

She snatched the note from his fingers and brought it before her eyes, studying it carefully. Raising her eyebrow and scratching her head in frustration, she tossed the small piece of paper over her shoulder with a single comment – "Odd."

Xelloss chuckled at her shrewdness. In return, she glared at him and retorted, "What?! Like a picture of an eye is going to help me."

He smiled amusedly at her, then turned serious. "Lina-san, when we go up against Dolphin-sama, Tsunami, and Tsurugi, keep your right eye closed. Their Sign will not affect mazoku eyes.

"What? Oh." That's right, her left eye belonged to Xelloss. "Why?"

He shook his head. "Don't ask, just do as I say." He saw her frown and quickly added, "That is, if you don't plan on losing your soul."

Her expression lightened as she realized that Xelloss was indeed telling the truth for once. "All right," she agreed, deciding to figure out what exactly the Sign was while they continued walking. They were wasting too much time here after all...

Behind them, the picture of the eye looked right and left, then folded itself up and shredded to pieces.

"I can't find it!" Lina declared about a half-hour later. They had searched the entire town, up and down, and had found absolutely nothing. They didn't find an entrance to where the others were being held, nor any hints on its whereabouts.

Lina sighed and sat down on the water fountain's edge, watching the water flow from over her shoulder. The moon was still very bright that night, and she soon found herself languidly staring down at its reflection.

Xelloss sauntered over and took a seat beside Lina. Something about this fountain bothered him, but he wasn't exactly sure what it was, nor did he show any signs of it.

"Ne, Xelloss?"

"Hmm?" he replied, still lost in his own thoughts.

"Have you ever...stopped to think about why things happen the way they do?"

This snapped him back to reality. The question was definitely _not_ a Lina-like question. "Are you feeling all right, Lina-san?"

Rather than answering his question, she reiterated, "Have you?"

He paused, gazing deeply at her and trying to decipher the hidden meaning to her words, but there wasn't any. "On occasion..." he answered slowly.

"Really?" Though she said that, her voice didn't sound one bit surprised. A few more moments passed as he stared intently at her, and she stared intently into the fountain. "You know, for the past few days, without any use of my magic, I felt like...a normal girl for once."

"Interesting...I didn't know Lina's desire to be normal was this great..." Xelloss mused to himself. Aloud, he interrogated, "Did you like it?"

She moved her point of gaze up to where the water shot out of the fountain. "I started to think the other night, during the festival I mean, what if I had been born a princess? What if this was my grand ball where I would finally meet Prince Charming?"

He chuckled softly. "Sounds like the average girl's fantasy."

"Yeah, well..." She looked down again, as though reluctant to continue. "Then I thought, if I had been born a princess that had a ball and found a Prince Charming..." She paused briefly, then concluded, "I wouldn't have found any of you."

Xelloss's smile faded and an all-due serious look fell upon his features. What was she trying to say? What was this new human emotion he was feeling? Why couldn't he come up with a snide remark like he always would?

Surprising both her ears and his own, he solemnly responded...

"Even if you had been born a princess, lived in a castle, had a ball for your fifteenth birthday, and met your Prince Charming... _I _would have found you."

Her eyes widened at the comment, and she looked directly into his eyes for the first time that night. What she saw from his face shocked her thoroughly...

For the very first time, Xelloss had removed his mask before her; she was able to read his eyes. Eyes full of loneliness and sadness. Eyes that were those of a solitary wolf, clad in white, running through a snowstorm without family or shelter to take place in. Eyes that clearly showed a strong desire, no, a plea for someone to accept him as he was...

Eyes that reflected everything you would find in a human...

Lina blushed furiously and looked back down into the watery depths of the fountain...depths?

She gaped at it. "This is it! This is the entrance we've been looking for!"

Xelloss let out a soft sigh and put his usual facade back on, masking any previous emotions he may have felt. "Well, shall we go?"

Lina nodded, seeming to already have completely forgotten the previous events.

"Ray wing!"

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	17. Chapter 09

The Slayers: Legacy of Darkness 

_Chapter 09_

* * *

The pair sank quietly into the depths of the well in the sealed air barrier provided by Lina's Ray Wing. All around them was pitch-black; the only light was a meager green glow from Xelloss's staff. Lina was conserving her own magical energy for what may come...

They both gazed anxiously down below them in the direction they were travelling. The air was tense. Lina was nearly back-to-back with Xelloss, ready to react at any given moment. Xelloss was in the same position, but he was also busily studying the walls of the well, unsure what the hieroglyphics meant.

"Xelloss," Lina's voice rang out, now firm and strong like the usual determined sorceress, and completely the opposite from the Lina she had been just moments ago.

"Hmm?"

"Do you have any idea why-" her question was cut off by the shrill shriek that escaped her lips. She backed up into Xelloss, eyes ridden with fear and horror. "What _is_ that?" Her legs trembled and she looked ready to scream. Xelloss promptly covered her eyes, holding her close to protect her from possible harm.

The walls of the well were lined with glowing souls and specters, all moaning in agony and reaching out in attempts to grab onto Lina or Xelloss. Though it all seemed to just be one big, awful illusion, the smell of rotting flesh and bones and the sight of peeling skin was enough to make any person vomit.

Xelloss was more than surprised. The elaborate detail and grotesque of the illusion was definitely not Dolphin's style. In fact...the overall feeling of the place proved to be highly uncharacteristic of the Dark Lord. No matter...it was just some disturbing scenery they would have to deal with until they reached their destination...

Another unsettling scream pierced through the air. If it was from Lina or not, he could not tell, but he felt the fiery sorceress being pulled from the safety of his arms. He quickly grasped her hands but was shocked to find hundreds of souls pulling on Lina's legs and taking her from the safety of the Ray Wing.

What was even more astonishing was that Xelloss himself could not fight back – their strength was too much and his mazoku powers had no effect whatsoever.

In a split second, Lina's hands were torn from his. As the specters covered her feeble body, Xelloss could see his name form on her lips...

Her outstretched hand was the last thing he saw, then all faded to black.

"Dolphin-sama," Tsunami stated habitually as she made her presence beside the sub-lord.

"How are they? Xelloss and his pet, I mean." She was feeding the fish surrounding her in the water with fresh, live bait, and the fish in turn swam in circles around her, excited from the food. Her lengthy, thread-like hair floated in the water like the webbing of a spider's web. She, too, had the Sign in her eyes.

"Everything is as expected. Xelloss is floating our way. His pet will soon come in contact with the Eye of Deceit and Faery's Tear shortly..." At the last concept, Tsunami smirked.

Dolphin smiled at the information, gently stroking a random fish she picked out. Suddenly, her eyes widened and her grin grew, and she grabbed the fish, snatching it up in one hand. The other fish around her scurried away in fear as she crushed the one she had in the palm of her hand sadistically. Her loud, child-like shrieks of laughter filled the seas...

It was pitch-black.

"Xelloss?"

No answer. All that could be heard was a strident silence. Even her voice only seemed to carry a few mere inches in front of her, despite shouting at the top of her lungs. Her throat soon ached, feeling as though a fire had lit up inside and was slowly charring the inner walls. Her fingers gently massaged it on the outside, though it provided little, if any relief. She needed water.

As though someone was reading her thoughts at that very moment, Lina could suddenly hear the far-off sound of rushing water. In an act of caution, she held her hands out in front of her as she walked in that direction to hopefully prevent running into any large objects of any sort. What she wasn't expecting, however, was falling over the edge into some body of water a few minutes later. She reached back for the ledge...

And felt absolutely nothing solid.

It was still pitch-black.

Smacking herself in the face, she wondered why she hadn't attempted a light spell beforehand. She lifted one of her hands above the water and chanted the short spell mentally.

"Lighting."

A tiny spark flickered in the palm of her hand, providing a split second of sight, then all returned to black.

Okay. Whatever was restricting her voice also restricted her power. Great.

On a lighter note, she _did_ spot a ledge in front of her that she could climb up on.

Lina climbed out of the water and rested for a bit, calming her panicked heartbeat from the fall. She frowned at the weight of her wet cape and wrung it out in frustration. Tossing the length of it out behind her after she was satisfied with its weight, she stood up, but unfortunately the cave wasn't quite as high as she suspected, so her head collided with the ceiling. She cursed and bent down, rubbing the quickly swelling bump on her head.

It was then that the thought registered itself in her brain. Water!

She immediately turned around and dunked her face in, gulping down gallons of the cool, refreshing water. After she felt she had her fill, she pulled her face out and sighed contently, paying no mind to the question of whether the liquid was clean or not.

She scrubbed the slime and grime off her hands and gloves, pulled them back on, then continued walking.

The ground was loose yet hard, and it didn't take a genius to figure out what she was walking on after seeing what she had just a while ago. Pinching her nose and breathing through her mouth, she tried to push back thoughts to keep her dinner from coming up. Things couldn't possibly get they?

As if someone were still reading her thoughts, she tripped over something large and fell prostrate on the bones. She nearly puked as she got up, and she could feel the blood drain from her face as something slithered over her leg. Shivers ran up and down her spine, and suddenly the air felt a lot colder than it had been just moments ago. The longing for a companion doubled, and her heart felt as though it were trying to leap out of her chest in fear. Things had definitely grown worse.

She gulped, and as her last hope shouted once more. "Xelloss!"

However, this time, her voice echoed far and wide, decreasing in volume each time it was repeated. As the last "Xelloss!" faded, a blinding blaze of light flooded the room, forcing Lina's eyes shut.

Xelloss's consciousness woke to a girl's voice. Lina? No, the voice was slightly higher. Who was it, then?

He slowly moved his aching head, looking around through his customary slit eyes. He noticed a tank with...fish inside? Above that was...

Oh dear, this was not going well.

He also noticed then that he was chained against the wall, crucifix-style, and for some reason he couldn't use the astral plane to get out.

That surely was a problem.

"How long have you four been...hanging around?" Xelloss inquired. He couldn't hold back from using a pun there, even though it wasn't the proper time or place for it.

Rosa rolled her eyes. "Long enough," she answered with a sigh. Tsurugi had left shortly after putting him up. He himself had been dragged into the room, dripping wet, unconscious. Rosa, or any of the others for that matter, hadn't paid attention to where Xelloss had come from. They only knew Tsurugi carried him into the room with the aid of her magic.

"Do you remember the way in?" Zelgadiss interrogated, hoping to figure a way out from the information.

He furrowed his eyebrows in deep thought. "I remember entering this place through the fountain with Lina..."

All four heads piped up at the mention of her name. "Lina/Lina-san!"

"Then there's still hope..." Ameria concluded with a sigh of relief.

Gourry seemed to be following the conversation for once. "But where is she now?" the inevitable question came, out of the mouth that had been least expected.

Xelloss's head dropped as he remembered what had happened. "Lina-san was separated from me along the way... I had assumed she was taken captive..."

All hope seemed to vanish from the room then, and the atmosphere darkened immediately.

There was a young lady standing on the beach, staring off into the sunset while humming a soft melody. The last rays of the sun reflected off her hair, tinting it somewhat crimson in shade. The ocean water lapped at her ankles, burying her toes beneath the sand as it rolled back out.

_Where have I seen this before...?_

She turned as she heard a small child calling out her name, running towards her with her hands held out in glee.

The woman, however, was crying.

_That's right... I've seen this same scene in a previous dream of mine..._

"Indeed you have, Lina-san."

_Who...?_

"I am the soul buried deep within this lost village, the guardian of every soul that once lived here."

_...Miran?_

"Yes."

_So it wasn't just another false tale..._

"No, it wasn't. Come along now, dear." A light, no, an aura took the shape of a woman with long hair, arms open wide in welcome.

Lina at first was filled with fear as her own conscious was pulled into a golden aura of herself. She moved her legs and arms to and fro, as though she was frantically trying to keep herself from falling. What she realized seconds later was she could control her position in the air simply by willing it. She instantly calmed.

Miran took both Lina's hands in hers. Taking a moment to gently caress the sorceress's hands, she whispered, "I'm sorry."

Before Lina could react, another bright light engulfed her, blinding her vision once more.

It wasn't fair.

She was only trying to protect a child. It was the human's fault for invading their sanctuary in the first place.

Of course, it was still partly her fault for not controlling the extent of her power, but what other choices did she have?

None.

And she was banished for it – banished for doing the only thing she could do. Banished for disobeying the law. Banished for saving lives...

It _really_ wasn't fair.

The child and his friends all attended her ceremony of exile. Their faces were all full of grief, guilt, and pity. They knew what was happening, but what could they do about it? They were, after all, _just_ children.

As was she. That boy was her closest and best friend.

And the authorities, without thinking once of the reasons, banished her.

So she was thrown out of the sanctuary she had lived in for all one hundred and three years of her life. The gates shut behind her, never to be opened in her presence again. In bitter remorse, she flew away, her right wing damaged. But she felt no pain at the time, for her thoughts were filled with nothing other than pure, sweet hatred.

For weeks the little faery flew, unhindered by weather or her physical condition. At last, however, her limit was breached, and she fell like a meteor from the sky into the blue ocean.

Fortunately, or perhaps, unfortunately, a young man stumbled by her fallen figure on the beach. He seemed no older than eighteen, but no younger than fifteen. He had a lean, muscular, attractive build that made even Lina blush from her spectator's spot in the air above. His aquamarine hair was tied in a neat ponytail, and a part of it was left down to cover his right eye, similar to Zelgadiss's hairstyle. The adolescent had no trouble lifting the faery's frail body into his arms and carried her away with ease. Though, for some odd reason, he didn't seem to be surprised at all to find a winged figure, much less one unconscious on the beach. Upon closer inspection, Lina quickly learned why.

The boy was a mazoku. The pupils in his eyes confirmed so.

As all these factors pieced together to form one complete picture, Lina slowly concluded...

"This is the past?"

"Yes."

"So why are you showing this to me?" Lina asked Miran's "soul" who was inexplicably watching her from some place she couldn't quite see. Lina continued to watch the scene unfold below her apathetically as she awaited her answer. The mazoku set young Miran down on a sunny patch of grass, then quickly set up "camp" to make his appearance seem like nothing more than a weary _human_ traveler. There was no doubt in Lina's mind at the present time that he was up to something, and that the only reason he was able to find her was because of the unadulterated hatred radiating from the misunderstood girl.

"You'll see... It will be clear to you why I am giving you this...warning."

The ambiguous statement left the sorceress with countless questions, but none of which had a chance to be asked before the young Miran tiredly blinked her dry, worn eyes open. "Where am I...?"

"Oh! You're awake!" the young man exclaimed as he carried a newly filled canteen bottle over. He offered it to her with two simple words, "Here, drink."

She knew she should have been alarmed by the stranger's alacrity towards helping her, or at least cautious, but only one thought rang in her mind at the time – Fresh water! Taking the canteen into her tiny hands with all earnest, she unscrewed the top and drank thirstily, gulping down what may have been enough to last months for a being her size. The young man simply watched her with a warm smile on his face.

After she had her fill, she put the bottle down and immediately blushed. Scolding herself inwardly for lack of self-restraint and ignoring the kind gentleman, she finally spoke up in a tiny voice that had been unused for so long, "Thank you kind sir. Please excuse me for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Miran." She bowed her head in gratitude, though the tips of her ears still burned a soft pink from her embarrassment.

It was then that the mazoku noticed. Her wings radiated a bright light that wasn't present before, probably because of her lack of strength. She was definitely a prize indeed – only the best faeries had a light that strong, a heart so pure.

Such was a victim he had been seeking.

He held his hands up and replied in feigned modesty, "No need to thank me. I only did what was right."

"No!" Miran's head shot up, displaying the still present pinkish tint on her cheeks. "I mean, I really _am_ grateful to you for what you did. If there's anything I could do in return..."

His expression brightened at this. "Anything?"

Miran nodded her head slowly. Perhaps it was too soon to trust him...

He deftly caught her hands in his, encircling them. Eyes open and sincere, he told her his request, "I would like you to stay with me, forever."

She blinked, then blushed furiously as the idea invaded and conquered her train of thought. It had been completely unexpected out of a person like him, and she had to keep her body from fidgeting uncomfortably all on its own. "I-I-I-I-"

That silly expression suddenly popped up on his face again. "Just kidding."

"Huh?" A confused, innocent look covered her face.

He sweatdropped. "You mean you really believed me? It was only a joke!" He picked the canteen up and began walking away, leaving the mildly fuming faery behind to glare at his back. "Oh, and you might want to do something about those wings of yours. They're a dead giveaway that you're not human," he called out over his shoulder, swinging the bottle by its strap around his finger as he nonchalantly sauntered away, humming a small tune.

Lina's patience was running low. "I still don't understand."

"Just watch patiently..."

"I don't _want_ to watch patiently! Let me leave!" the sorceress protested hotly. Her anger was boiling over the edge as she seethed through clenched teeth, her temper obviously nearing its limit.

"...No."

"...No?!" The scene below continued to unravel, though, and soon calmed the sorceress's retorts.

"He's right..." Miran thought, fingering the lacey edges of her faery wings. "I have to do something about these...but what?"

He came back then as if on cue, still humming in a carefree way. Seeing the contemplative look on her face, he frowned and sat beside her quietly. "So?"

She tilted her head away from him, ashamed. "I don't know..." Her bangs shadowed her eyes, glazed over from tiredness.

He paused, then brought up the only answer plausible. "You'll have to remove them..."

Her spine tingled at the words. It was the only path she could take, but would she be able to go through with it...? Removing her wings would mean she would never be able to fly ever again... Living without that ability was like saying she had been reduced to nothing more than an average human being...

Slowly, she nodded her head. "I have no other choice. I have to remove my wings tonight," she concluded reluctantly.

"I could do it for you now."

She would have laughed it off as a joke if his expression hadn't been so austere. Instead, she lightly answered," Humans can't do the process... It requires a lot of spiritual energy to turn faery wings into dust..."

He shook his finger at her, then winked in a Xelloss-type manner. "Who said I was human?"

"You..." she paused, mentally searching for the memory of his declaration about being human...but didn't find it. Feeling somewhat obtuse now, she finished, "...didn't."

He grinned. "Exactly. I didn't, but I'll tell you now. My name is Hattari, and I am a mazoku."

The information took a moment to fall into place. This kind, generous young man was a mazoku? The evil beings that were the exact opposite of holy ryuuzoku? The kind of mazoku that fed off of negative human emotions, most of the time inducing these emotions by themselves as a stimulation? _This_ was a mazoku she had dreamt nightmares about as a young faery because of all the awful tales she had heard (one prominent one being about how a thousand dragons fell to a single mazoku's feet in one second)? _This_ was one of the cruelest things on the planet?

There _had_ to be a mistake somewhere – either in the knowledge that she had been taught about mazoku or his being one. Her intuition said neither was right, but...

His face expression changed, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking and saw it as a mere challenge. "Should I prove my existence as a mazoku to you?" When she nodded, he continued, "All right, I'll prove it by removing your wings for you, via the astral plane of course. If you feel it at all, then I am not a real mazoku, agreed?"

Miran faintly remembered something from her studies about mazoku being able to traverse the astral plane effortlessly. "If he can travel in the astral plane...then he really _is_ a mazoku," she thought. And, since he was offering to remove her wings for her...why not? Out loud, she said, "Okay."

She turned her back to him and pulled her long, golden-brown hair over her left shoulder. She was tense; he could see that vividly.

Hattari walked over and placed his hands on her shoulders in a soothing manner. He leant in to softly whisper in her ear, "Trust me," then vanished to the astral plane, leaving her to think.

Though, surprisingly, his two simple words washed away all her fears, worries, and troubles. All were replaced by a single echo..._Trust me_.

And, she did.

Lina could view the mazoku's movements clearly from her place, even as he traveled the astral plane. His real form showed him to be a lower-level mazoku, for it was nothing more than a "burst" of green light, in a sense. She watched quietly as he conformed himself around Miran's wings and engulfed her light, while on the physical plane she sat still, completely serene, at total peace with her surroundings. In a blink of an eye the wings vanished from her back, and he reappeared on the physical plane, jar containing her lightly beating wings in hand. She, of course, had been anticipating his appearance. "It's done?"

Instead of giving her a verbal reply, he held the bottle out as proof. "Here, take it."

She reached a hand behind her back to confirm this. Her wings were no longer there. She then looked upon the bottle and its contents in nostalgia, for she would never again have the privilege to fly through the wind. Starting today, she was tied to the land.

Rather than taking the bottle profusely, she refused it. "Keep it, as a token of my gratitude." A smile graced her lips for the first time since her unfortunate change of events in life, a smile so pure and so sweet that Hattari felt the sudden urge to taste them...

Turning his face away to fight the profound blush on his cheeks, he stated, "That reminds me, you still haven't repaid me for what I did for you earlier..."

She continued to look upon him with the grandest of smiles. "What would you like?"

He breathed in deeply. The urge soon consumed him, and in one adroit movement he had his lips pressed tightly against hers, arms wound comfortably around her slim waist. The request had been spoken without the need of words - Stay with me?

And she, with that heart-warming, resonating smile, obliged willingly.

She sped up her aging to meet his, and he, as a mazoku did not age. A few years later the couple bore their first child, and the year after that their second. They created their own village, which quickly flourished and lived in total harmony until one frightful day...

Hattari had gone out to attend his mazoku duties, or so he told Miran. She had stayed home, as usual, to take care of the house and kids. Suddenly without a moment's notice, one of the villagers came rushing through the door, face full of panic. Sweat dripped down the sides of his face as he breathed heavily, leaning against the doorframe for support. When he finally caught his breath, he spoke with urgency, "Miran-sama! There is an emergency!"

Miran quickly quieted her children and left them in a room of the house, warning them to be silent chance the house should be attacked. Removing her apron, she walked over to the villager while smoothing out the wrinkles in her dress. "What is it?"

He just motioned for her to follow, hands and fingers quivering in fear. She obeyed, though cautiously, and stepped outside to view what had the village up in panic. At first she only noticed the black clouds, which wouldn't have been all that strange if they hadn't been swirling in irregular patterns. She squinted at it as though she recognized it, but it wasn't until moments later that she understood what it was.

She felt a thousand daggers pierce her stomach, and her heart lurched up into her throat.

This was the Dance of Death, performed only when a sanctuary had been breached and the occupants slaughtered. She looked to the West, to her former home, and all her fears were confirmed in an instant.

The peak of the mountain radiated fire over the horizon, and in her ears she heard the faint cry of her family and friends at the mercy of the Death that loomed over them...

And all she could do was watch in a kind of fascinated horror.

A lump had formed in Lina's throat as she watched on with undying interest and adamant wonder. She was beginning to understand, slowly and painfully, why Miran had insisted on showing this to her. She had been forced to turn her head away for a moment because she couldn't bear to watch the inclement slaughter before her; it was too gruesome and estranged. The mazoku's animosity at killing did not falter, even for a second, and he lavished in the sweet nourishment they provided. The truly atrocious fact, however, had to be that the abominable soul that was decimating the faeries was none other than the "savior" himself, Hattari.

He relinquished their utter demise and, eventually, faded out to return home and laugh at Miran's hurt expression.

But she had known, and she had expected it. The aghast look mixed with the stupefied feeling of having been betrayed covered her face wholly. There was no room for woe; there was no room for mourning. Bitter resentment radiated from every part of her, and she realized the horrible mistake she had made. Tears burned in her eyes as she murmured with trembling lips, "Murderer."

He continued to grin a grin he had never shown her before, a malevolent grin that chilled any onlookers to the bone. The villagers backed away from them in slow, precarious movements, suddenly very afraid. Hattari looked over to them, sending a new wave of fear that washed over the crowd. In reply to Miran's bold statement, he gruffly said, "That...I am."

Before anyone could react, he held his hand out, pointing towards the cowering humans. A fierce light of pure energy formed at the end of his pointing finger, and the last thing that was heard before the blast was Miran's vain plea, "Wait!"

The village went up in flames. Each and every human combusted on the spot, their screams of agony and terror filling the air. They fell to the ground with a sickening thud, and Hattari cackled in delight.

"This is wonderful! Have you ever heard such a wonderfully composed piece before?" His eyes glistened with insanity as his boisterous laugh filled the air.

Miran fell to her knees, nerve-wracked. All she could do was wonder, "Where did the kind man who once loved me go...?"

He smirked at her. "Do you _really_ wanna know?"

_Don't..._

Grabbing her flamboyant hair and pulling her face up so he could see the pained expression fully, he spat in her face. "Falsified emotions, my dear. It was nothing more than one big _bluff_."

_That's a lie...!_

As children's wails filled the air, Miran felt her chest wrench in horror. _No!_

Hattari, too, knew where the source of the wails was. Tossing the helpless faery aside, he began to prey upon their household, it blazing with fire. "Come to _daddy_..."

"_Stop it!_" both Lina and Miran shouted simultaneously. As if by a miracle, two beautiful, breathtaking wings sprouted from Miran's back, propelling her forward into Hattari. Her hand pierced through his chest, the exact location of his power on the astral plane, and forced him down on his knees. He choked and sputtered, trying to recover from the shock.

The mazoku somehow relaxed as Miran's arms wrapped around him from behind. Even through the numbing pain, he could feel her hot tears on his back, and the idea bewildered him. "Miran...why are you crying?"

The only response to his question was mouthed into his back. He was not bleeding; mazoku don't bleed. But he was indeed fading fast. He looked up to the billowing sky, trying to decipher what she was saying.

The answer soon came to him, and he closed his eyes in regard to her feelings. "You know what, Miran? I lied... I really do-" He fell forward as the blackness began to consume his torso, feeding hungrily on his corpse and erasing its existence. As he stared at the barren land spread out before him, he softly whispered, "...love you."

Lina buried her face in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably. She was shivering, trembling at what she had seen. The world around her had resumed its pitch-black state of silence.

Miran's aura once again appeared before her. In a sympathetic gesture, she gently patted the sorceress's shaking shoulders, then began, "Lina-san, do you understand now what I have been trying to tell you?"

Lina shook her head, even though the message was very clear to her.

Miran seemed to frown, then held out her other hand to Lina. Resting on her palm were two items – one in the shape of an eye and the other in the shape of a tear. "Lina-san...please choose your destiny."

Lina looked up at this. "What?"

"If you choose the Eye of Deceit, Xelloss will be saved at the expense of your friends' lives. If you choose the Faery's Tear, your friends' lives will be spared at the expense of Xelloss's death."

Lina paled. "Are those the only two options?"

Miran paused before answering. "No." Seeing the sorceress's look of hope, she said, "The third option... You may sacrifice your own life to save all of theirs if you take both artifacts. However, the sacrifice is not death but to be confined in this void for all eternity."

Lina swallowed, then swallowed again. "I guess I have no choice..." She slowly began to reach out to choose the artifact that would seal her fate...

But instead, she swiped both artifacts off Miran's hand with a cocky grin, dropping them into the void. "I pick choice D, to defy my own destiny."

Miran's form stood quietly for a moment, and then she seemed to smile. "As expected of you, Lina Inverse..."

A blinding white light filled the room once again, but this time Lina only had to shut her eyes for a brief moment. Before her no longer stood Miran, but a woman clad in black with long, golden hair. In her left hand she carried a large scythe, and in her right a black and gold orb. Holding the orb out to Lina, she stated, "So it has been decided."

Lina was stunned. _This voice..._

Paying no heed to the girl's reaction, the woman continued with all due authority in her voice, "Lina Inverse, you have been freed from the bonds of fate that bound you." In a simple snap of her wrist, she had Lina's hand firmly grasped in her own, the orb of energy surrounding both. Though she was calm and dignified during this time, Lina on the other hand was not.

"Are you-"

Lina winced as she was jerked rather roughly into the growing ball of energy. She looked to the woman in question, both human and mazoku eyes widened.

"Lina, walk forward to your future with your head held high. Do not detour from your path of choice even when facing any obstacle. You can overcome them all." With one last look of reassurance, she released Lina's hand and began to walk away.

Lina tried pointlessly to reach out for her. She was desperate; she needed to know. "Wait! I need to ask-!" She was cut off when the sphere completely consumed her, then reduced in size until it vanished.

The Lord of Nightmares grinned. "Interesting. I'll be waiting to see what you do, Lina Inverse. Until we meet again."

She slowly raised her hand, and seconds later, disappeared.

* * *

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	18. Chapter 10

The Slayers: Legacy of Darkness 

_Chapter 10_

* * *

It was time

Deep Sea Dolphin removed her semi-transparent, sea-like shawl from its hook on the coral stand and wrapped it around her thin, pale shoulders. She let the ends fall to the floor, trailing lightly behind her as she walked. Faint echoes of the ocean shoreline were emitted when the cloth swayed – the crashing of the waves against the rocks which line the ocean shores, the sound of the sea breeze blowing, and the gentle cawing of the seagulls as they basked in the warm afternoon sun. With every swift turn she made, the trinkets adorning the light fabric would make the sound of wind chimes in the light ocean breeze. And with every step she took, a shrill sound of a pearl drop hitting glass would accompany it. Her very essence of being seemed to echo the sounds of the never-ending ocean.

She leisurely made her way to where Tsunami and Tsurugi were waiting for her. It was almost as though she was stalling to make the calm before the storm more extensive, even though her nature would have her prefer otherwise. At the exact moment she passed between her subordinates, they simultaneously stood up, each on her own respective side of her lord and master. They bowed respectfully and awaited her orders.

"Well now, I suppose it is about time for our appearance," the dark sub-lord remarked quite cheerfully. "I do hope they will provide us with at least a _little_ entertainment..."

Tsurugi and Tsunami took extra care in making sure the doors were sealed tightly before following behind their leader. They had been waiting for this moment of excitement for ages. Being assigned a position outside the region of magic and sorcery could do that to a person.

"How long do you think we'll be here for...?" Ameria asked, more to break the tension in the air than to actually get a worthwhile response.

Zelgadiss looked up at the stalactites lining the ceiling of the cavern. He had counted at least two hundred droplets of water fallen from the largest one, which would be equivalent to about three and a half hours if it had truly fallen at the rate of one drop per minute. Though considering they were hanging around waiting for someone to save them, time in his mind could have had a warped opinion.

The air was still tense and very chilling to the bone. The only sounds that broke through the heavy air were the occasional squeaks of the cold iron chains and the faint splashes of the fish inhabiting the tanks below where they hung. Perhaps it was not a farfetched idea to assume that these conditions were made in such a way that they, indirectly, were a source of torture for those who happened to be chained and imprisoned here...

That is, until a growl coming from Gourry's stomach broke the mood and induced looks lacking amusement of any sort upon the faces of the other captives in the room, considering every one of them were beyond starving at this point in time.

Anyhow, the events taking place in the room were hardly suitable for any rest of any sort, so the only choice available to take was to simply hang around and wait for their holders to arrive with news of what was planned to happen next. Understandably, the situation hardly provided any excitement that would satiate the boiling stimulus which, on a daily basis, propelled mazoku to do the things they naturally do – wreak havoc. On the other hand, it _did_ provide a suitable retreat for the not-so-bright blonde swordsman who, even under these insufferable circumstances, was caught deep in slumber with a thread of drool hanging down from the edge of his mouth...

...However, in order to progress in this seemingly pointless tale, a shift back to the circumstances of the fearsome and fearless Lina Inverse is in due order...

"I am up to HERE with this pitch-black thing!" Lina griped, holding her hand way up above her head. Her temper flared in regular intervals in the form of gruffs and clasps of smoke, which wafted from her ears. Her arms were crossed and her foot tapped the "ground", or whatever may be lying beneath her feet.

Rather than waiting for the answer from L-sama or whomever held absolute authority over the black dominion, she attempted another lighting spell. This time, however, instead of simply not working, it caused a bright light to shine nearby. Amazed that something was actually going her way this time, she dropped her guard and moved towards the source of the glow.

It, actually, was not the result of her spell. In fact, it was something fairly peculiar... a set of butterfly – no, fairy wings which were being contained in a small glass jar, seemingly warn and cracked due to the long passing of time...

Actually, there was nothing truly peculiar about it. They were more than obviously the wings that had once found a home upon Miran's back. Lina carefully picked up the jar and began to unscrew the lid. Before the lid fully came off, the fairy wings suddenly came to life and fervently beat their way out of their container. Lina was not even given a chance to react before the wings somehow appeared as their full size on her back. A voice soon accompanied...

"Lina inverse, child of the legacy of darkness..." The voice paused briefly, then continued, "Let these wings come to your aid when you are in peril..."

Lina cocked an eyebrow. "And whenever would that be?"

"You shall see in due time," it answered, much to her disappointment. "Now go, your friends await your arrival."

The wings faded as a pathway opened before her. With her first true look of satisfaction for the day, she called upon her reckless side and ran in.

Tsunami and Tsurugi entered the room alongside their master, both clothed in their own respective outfits. Their gazes remained averted for the time being, seeing as though it wasn't time to kill their hostages...yet. The seashells hung from their neck, and strangely enough, were glowing in the moonlight that came in beams from the cracks in the ceiling. Tiny glittering beads of light seemed to flow over the curves and down from the edge of the shell, splashing into little showers and decorating the ground with their brilliance, leaving behind them a trail of glittering jewels in the stone cold earth.

Dolphin stepped into a patch of moonlight, gaining direct exposure to its gentle beams. She turned her face full-front to it, eyes closed, and allowed the white light to caress her luxurious pale skin, illuminating it with the same glistening jewels that graced the floor. She slowly opened her eyes, gazing at the purity of the moon for a moment before returning her attention to her captives once more.

The Sign seemed to have evolved to a new level. No words could describe it since it just _felt_ that way.

Her new form was maturer, more enticing, more seductive. Voluptuous curves formed her body, no longer presenting the image of an overgrown child and instead presenting the image of a respectful woman, or rather, the image of a queen.

With grace, she sauntered over to Xelloss, who still remained crucified to the cave wall. She cupped his chin and turned his face so she could have a good look at him.

"It has been a long time, Xelloss."

In a rather monotone and indifferent voice he replied, "Not long enough."

She giggled slightly at this and brushed her fingers lightly across his cheek. Her fingers were chill to the skin, raising goosebumps on Xelloss's skin. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his other cheek, indulging herself in his disgust. It was truly a delectable feast, as He was her favorite source for a meal.

Tsurugi and Tsunami sat aside, eyes still averted from the others. They, too, were feasting upon his negative emotions caused by the dilemma he was in, even though they seemed to be at peace with their surroundings.

Rosa struggled in an effort to free her arm. The cold iron chains jingled as they moved, cutting through the soft flesh that fought to be free of their bonds. Rich droplets of crimson blood dripped from her wounds into the pool below, exciting the formerly inanimate carnivores which sought to devour the victims being held above them. Rosa bit her lip to ameliate the pain, even slightly, as she felt the shackles pierce her skin and grind against her bones, threatening to fracture them in the dark, musty, and highly infectious environment. However, she was inconveniently interrupted by an unfriendly face that materialized before her.

"Oh dear, I suppose this one wasn't taught properly in manners," Tsunami commented wryly, sneering in the half-breed's face. "Didn't daddy ever tell you it's rude to interrupt other people when they're eating?"

Rosa spat in her face, smirking when the mazoku general frowned and wiped her face with utter disgust. However, the tables were turned when Tsunami grabbed the girl's neck, threatening to choke the life out of her. The action elicited shouts and insults from the concerned spectators hanging nearby, but they were unable to do anything other than watch, and pray.

Tsunami inspected the girl's face, as if she recognized something notable and couldn't quite figure out what it was. "You..." she began, a tone of suspicions masking the confusion she felt. She dismissed the earlier feeling and returned to her regular conceited attitude. "I suppose I should reintroduce myself. I am Tsunami, named after the unmerciful wave of destruction that returns all order to chaos."

Though she was already struggling for air, Rosa managed to mutter, "Ask me if I care."

Tsunami's grip suddenly became more provoking. "I see we have two smart asses in this vicinity..." she remarked. "I wouldn't be pressing my luck if I were in your position, missy, but I'm not your mother so I'm not one to preach." After the last comment, Tsunami suddenly leant forward and ran her coarse tongue across the gaping wound on Rosa's neck, licking away the blood as if she were savoring the coppery taste. Rosa's body tightened in response to the action, but she still dangled helplessly in front of her assaulter. She had become the predators prey, and since she was prey, she would be beaten and played with until she could no longer move.

"Rosa!" Zelgadiss was actually surprised she had human blood. Though at the same time, the fact only brought on further complications – primarily the fact that, like he himself, her form resided on the physical plane rather than the astral plane like most mazoku. In other words, she could stand no more wounds than a normal human being could. He, too, would be caught in such a predicament if his body wasn't...

But that was a matter that needed to be tended to at a different time. Right now, there was a life at stake.

"Damn you! Who the hell would beat a defenseless child like her!" Gourry shouted at Tsunami. He gritted his teeth. If only he had his Hikari no Ken...

Tsurugi appeared before the three. "Watch quietly," she instructed softly, and gave a small smirk.

At that exact moment, a vortex appeared behind Tsunami. Nothing could be seen, but a small voice was heard. A voice that grew stronger with every syllable...

"...With power that can smash even the souls of the gods!"

She launched through the air from the lapse in space, chin up, eyes burning a brilliant red. As she emerged, so did a large, dark blade...

And she was flying directly at Tsunami.

Tsurugi barely had a moment to warn Tsunami of the oncoming peril. Tsunami made a futile attempt to move out of the way in time.

"Too late for that!" Lina taunted, bringing the blade forward. "Laguna Blade!!"

Tsunami managed to dodge the attack enough so that the sword merely slashed through her side rather than hacking her in two. She winced, but managed to laugh it off. "Hah! You call that an attack...!?"

She was silenced by the sound of clinking iron.

It was then that they all realized Tsunami hadn't been the target from the start. Instead, the goal had been to free Rosa from her magic-constricting chains. With ease, the bonds were broken.

Zelgadiss grinned a bit. "She always has to make an entrance doesn't she?"

"That's our Lina!" encouraged a jubilant Gourry.

Rosa didn't waste any time. With a flick of her wrist, she sent five astral cones spiraling at the chains which held the others in place. The iron shattered, and they were all freed.

"Levitation!"

Lina smiled. She was risking a lot by trusting the kid with such a critical task, but her intuition had told her the kid had more to her than it seemed. Her intuition had never been wrong before, and besides, any daughter of hers could never be truly _normal..._

Rosa flew up to Lina after making sure the others made it safely to the ground. "Moth- I mean, Lina. I have to warn you that you MUST under all circumstances keep your human eye closed. Explaining this would take too long so...just trust me!"

Lina winked, keeping the eye shut when she did so. She then turned her to attention to where Xelloss was still being held and pointed a finger at her adversary. "You there! Are you really THAT desperate to die?"

Rosa nearly facefaulted. "That's DOLPHIN! Do I need to spell it out for you?!"

Lina looked almost dumbfounded. "Why didn't you tell me that earlier?!"

"Because I wasn't expecting you to be so stupid about it," Rosa muttered.

Lina rubbed her temples. "Well whatever. Either way... battles with mazoku never turn out nice..." she commented, recalling previous engagements with Garv and Hellmaster Fibrizzo. Memories she'd rather not remember...

And here was another standing before her. What was she to do? Kill it? Could she even attempt the same miracle and pull it off a third time...?

Dolphin lowered her head and tightened her grip on Xelloss's neck, digging her fingernails into what would have been his flesh had he been human. In a soft voice not even audible to Xelloss's ears, she whispered, "Play time is over already...?"

Lina didn't quite grasp what was happening at first. From her perspective, it just seemed as though the girl were merely standing there. However, a telltale glow began to engulf Dolphin's body, sending off little wisps of steam as though it was leaking from its container. She had been drawing out her power.

Lina looked around the room for a way to escape. Things could get really ugly in this cramped space and a mass of energy surging through. She noticed an opening in one of the cave walls and began to fly towards it, but she was caught off-guard by Tsurugi who pulled the sorceress's hands behind her back and had an arm around her throat. It was then that Lina realized that Rosa and the others had already been confined as well.

Tsunami appeared before her, looking smug as always. "It would have been rude of you to leave, especially since the party's just begun," she said, indicating her master's growing power.

Xelloss has been freed from his chains, but he was still held in place by the giant force of energy before him. He seemed to be struggling to breathe, even though he didn't exactly need air.

Finally, the sub-lord turned to face her victims. She had strange markings on the side of her face, and gills had formed on her neck. She was staring straight at Lina, eyes ridden with the mysterious, endless gray abysses of the Sign. In a rather mature-sounding voice, she inquired, "Do you know why I am named after the Deep Sea?"

The cave walls suddenly disappeared, and the place began to flood at a rapid rate. Lina quickly held her breath as she was instantly plunged deep underwater along with everyone else. She felt something slimy brush past her legs and shuddered.

It was pitch black.

Suddenly sources of light began to fill the area, illuminating their faces. It took a few seconds for her eyes to focus, and she realized the sources of light were actually coming from fish.

Dolphin petted one of the fish and stepped forward. "Welcome to the deepest trench of the entire ocean, Lina Inverse. More commonly known as my domain." She paused and slapped the rear end of the fish, as if it were a horse, and sent it speeding at Lina. The fish latched onto her shoulder, digging its long razor-sharp teeth into her skin and piercing through her shoulder, eliciting a cry of pain from the sorceress. A shock of pain shot throughout her arm, and then it went limp and numb, as if it had just been severed from the rest of her body.

Dolphin smirked at the girl's misery. "And this will become your graveyard."

She called her pet back with a simple wave of the hand, stroking it lightly as it came to a halt beside her. Its teeth were stained the color of crimson, the color of human blood.

Lina clutched her arm as she tried to cast a healing spell on the wound. It was pouring out a sick amount of blood, which mixed into the watery surroundings and most likely attracted any nearby predators.

The situation seemed to be getting worse by the minute.

There was also the fact that she couldn't breathe underwater. She was straining herself without air, when all of a sudden the blonde swordsman happened to blurt out, "Hey, I can breathe!"

Lina found that a bit hard to believe, as though maybe Gourry had finally lost it, but she decided to risk it anyway. She slowly breathed in... and found that not only could she breathe, but she could also speak without difficulty.

Amazing.

"How on earth did you figure that out, Gourry-san?" Ameria wondered curiously, also surprised that the mercenary with pudding-for-brains could figure something like that out.

Gourry rubbed his chin for a bit, as though he were thinking. Then, with a huge, bright smile that looked like that of a child, he said, "I didn't. I just thought that since they were fine, it was ok to breathe too." He pointed at Tsunami and Tsurugi.

The others were astounded by his stupidity that just saved their lives. Lina sighed and shook her head in disapproval. This was just another typical Gourry moment. His intelligence would never improve.

Dolphin's echoing voice pierced the heavy silence. "Let's play a game, shall we?" she suggested, though her voice was unenthusiastic and monotone. The sub-lord sauntered over to Rosa, taking her time in order to induce anxiety and dread within her captives. She gazed directly into the young girl's wary eyes and smiled. Though she wasn't quite sure _why_, this girl seemed valuable to both Lina and Xelloss. Not only valuable, this girl was _precious_ to them.

And she hated it.

In a blink of the eye, Dolphin had punched Rosa in the stomach and was now holding her head up by her pink hair. Dolphin's eyes were full of rage and killing intent, a hefty leap from the disinterest she had shown only seconds ago. Her aura flickered once again around her body, paralyzing everyone in the area.

Ameria shivered and fell to her knees trembling. It had almost felt as though her heart no longer had the strength to keep beating, and that all hope to live had been lost. Invisible tears escaped from the corners of her eyes, merging with the ocean water that suddenly had the sickening smell and taste of blood.

Xelloss was the first to recover from the impact. Somehow finding the strength to move once again, he managed to stand on his own two feet and take one step forward.

Tsurugi materialized before him, though she was careful to keep a safe distance between them considering he could still easily overpower her even in his state. Looking him straight in the eye, she advised against interrupting at the given moment. "Dolphin-sama hasn't explained the rules of her game, yet."

The frightful aura resided again. Killing the girl right away wouldn't bring about any satisfaction. Torturing her and devouring her soul would be so much more...pleasant. She carved a pattern into the back of Rosa's neck with her fingernail. Rosa's body immediately stiffened, and she lost all sense of sight, sound, and smell.

She had been poisoned.

"So the rules of this game are as thus..." Dolphin began, holding up the inanimate body which had seemingly been deemed the prize. "Obey everything Dolphin-sama says without objections." There was an emphasis placed on the last part of the sentence. Though the words were hardly serious, her tone still issued a warning to anyone who would dare object. She pointed the finger she had used to poison Rosa at Lina, adopting the sorceress's uncanny way of insulting people and using it to mock her. "Lina Inverse." She paused for a moment so the dread-stricken sorceress would acknowledge what she was about to say.

"Call upon that blade you used earlier on my subordinate again, and kill Xelloss with it. If you don't do it, the girl will die."

The words sank in almost instantly, and Lina felt her heart shatter. It was a sick joke. They couldn't really be expecting her to...

A glance at Rosa's lifeless form validated her ambiguities.

Seeing Lina's undecided expression that was rather unfitting for her, Xelloss frowned. The answer should have been simple – "Sacrifice the girl and we'll have another."

...Is what he wanted to say, but he had grown rather fond of his child as well and couldn't just hand over her head on a silver platter either. She had that same flaming spirit that lived within her mother, the kind of spirit that you could confide in even under the worst circumstances. Perhaps, all she needed was a bit more time...and she would certainly overcome the poison that threatened her life.

Stalling for time...was the only thing he could think of.

"Lina-san," he said, voice barely louder than a murmur. Lina only had to look into his eyes to understand what he wanted her to do. She rebuked it almost immediately, but she had never seen such a... resolved expression on his face before...

And the worst part was that he was smiling.

He looked so at peace as he sat down and rested his back against the cold stone. Any and all of his natural defenses were let down as he awaited his moment of passing. "I'm sure everything will be alright."

Tsurugi watched him for a few seconds, then stepped away from the priest. Her role in this game was over.

Dolphin was becoming impatient. "Well what are you waiting for? Unless you want me to kill the girl right now..."

Without words to express her feelings on the matter, Lina crossed her arms in front of her to form an "x" across her chest. Her demon blood talismans began to glow as she began the incantation.

"Lina-san please don't do it!" Ameria cried. Her voice was dry and cracked, barely reaching the ears of everyone in the setting. Throwing her justice speeches aside for the time being, she built up enough strength to give one more cry. "The Lina-san I know and admire would never give up this easily!"

The comment caused Lina to grimace a little. "I know, Ameria, but I don't want to risk what's precious to me..." she thought, recalling the ages she had spent alone. It had been hard to find friends she could believe in...and she wasn't about to give any of that up.

An unexpected voice broke through her thoughts. "Is this your answer, Lina!?" shouted the chimera who had decided to abandon his principles for the sake of protecting a friend from living the rest of her life full of regret, as he himself was.

"Lina! Xelloss is a good friend of mine, too!" declared the blonde swordsman. "I don't want to watch him die!"

Lina winced at the comment, holding back a deep sob. She, more than anyone else, did not want him to die.

The sphere of energy materialized in her hands. The darkness laced with gold flickered, hungry for destruction. With a pained expression, she leapt towards Xelloss's docile figure and cried, "I'm sorry, everyone!"

The blade was stopped as it came down on Xelloss's head. His eyes opened in shock as he recognized the familiar presence before him.

"Juu-ou-sama..."

Clothed in her usual garments and adorned with her regular jewelry, the Greater Beast Zelas Metallium appeared within the Demon Sea. In one hand she gripped the Laguna Blade; in the other she held a burning cigarette. After taking a draft on it, she addressed Lina in a cool, collected manner.

"I will **not** allow you to rid me of my most valuable subject."

She then squeezed the blade into nothingness. The only marring that had been done to her body was a single cut in the palm of her hand.

She glanced at it for a bit, then looked to a still stunned Lina and snapped, "That hurt."

Xelloss noted a somewhat subtle tone of malice in her words. The fact that it wasn't there wasn't quite all that earth shattering, though. After all, he had almost allowed himself to be killed by a _human_. Even though Lina Inverse wasn't your run-of-the-mill everyday human, she was still nothing more when it all boiled down to technicalities.

Giving up one's own life was seen as an act of treason within the mazoku race, and that would result in a harsh punishment from his master.

He bowed down in humbleness to his superior and creator. "I accept whatever consequences you may inflict upon me."

Zelas propped her wounded hand on her hip as if it didn't hurt anymore. "Come now, Xelloss. No need to act all formal just because we have spectators..." She eyed the people present, and fixated her gaze when she met with her equal. "Hey."

Dolphin seemed a bit upset, but her rage was gone. "Why are you here?"

Another drag on her cigarette. "Business."

Lina noticed they didn't seem to like each other, but they didn't exactly dislike each other either. A glance at Xelloss's unaltered expression indicated that this behavior was nothing out of the ordinary. To her, however, the situation still seemed somewhat surprising. She had always imagined that the higher-up mazoku would either be banded as a group or would be at each other's throats, ready to overpower the other when given a chance. This was hardly the case.

Dolphin's eyes suddenly narrowed. "Are you trying something?" she asked, suspicious of the spontaneous visit.

Her suspicion caused Zelas to frown. "You know I don't like to involve myself in unnecessary matters."

"True..." Dolphin seemed to relax after that statement. She was still holding onto Rosa's limp body.

Zelas walked up to more closely inspect the girl. She seemed rather interested, oddly enough. Most mazoku probably wouldn't care about the children given birth to by someone their spawn has been sleeping with. In fact, they probably wouldn't even care about _who_ their spawn has been sleeping with.

Tsunami stepped down from her post and task of watching the captives. When Zelgadiss shot her a questioning look, she shrugged and answered, "This is beyond my involvement."

Zelgadiss, Gourry, and Ameria reunited with Lina. Ameria was the first to reach her and engulfed her in a warm embrace, along with tears of relief. Gourry soon followed and patted her lightly on the head much to her embarrassment, but it was normal Gourry behavior so she didn't really mind. Zelgadiss came over and extended his hand out to help the weary sorceress up.

The friendly atmosphere was shattered by Zelas declaring, "I'm going to take the girl with me. She could be of some use."

Lina was first at a loss of words, but then she became irate and upset. Forgetting she was talking to a mazoku sub-lord that could kill her with a simple wave of the hand, she protested with a simple yet solid, "I won't let you."

Zelas unleashed some deadly aura aimed right at Lina. In a more rough voice, she warned, "Know your place, human."

Lina opened her mouth once more to say something but Xelloss gave her a warning glance to stay silent. Her practicality once again took over and she unwillingly backed off.

But she was still opposed to the idea.

"That reminds me," Zelas began, turning once again to her follower and devotee. "Your punishment..."

She suddenly whirled to Lina and pulled the unexpecting girl forward into a tight, but soft embrace. Zelas was only barely taller than Lina, so Lina was able to peer over her shoulder.

A pair of orbs filled with gray, foggy endlessness was there to greet her...and both of her eyes were open from the unrelenting shock caused by the Beast Master.

Zelas gently stroked the sorceress's silky hair as she watched her minion's reaction. For possibly the first time in his existence, Xelloss was at a loss for words.

The mazoku lord kissed the top of Lina's head and whispered just loudly enough for Xelloss to hear: "...Your punishment is the loss of this human as she once was."

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	19. Chapter 11

The Slayers : Legacy of Darkness 

_Chapter 11_

* * *

Ameria came out of the room with a sullen expression on her face. She took slow, small, hesitant steps towards Zelgadiss, then fell into his arms as she broke out in sobs.

He patted her back gently as he shushed her. It was probably too much for a young girl like her to handle. They shouldn't have let her go inside by herself, but she had insisted it be that way.

A loud crashing sound from the other side of the door alerted them to their senses. Gourry stepped up, and, after receiving a nod of encouragement from Zelgadiss, entered the room.

Lina was sitting on the ground beside her bed, hands limp on the floor beside her body. All around her lay scattered shards of broken glass. In her left hand she held what remained of a glass cup she had apparently broken.

Her body was covered in cuts and bruises.

Gourry rushed over and removed the cup from her possession. He winced as the sharp edges of the glass sliced through his callused hands, but still he managed to smile kindly at Lina. "Now, now, Lina," he scolded. "How many times do I have to tell you not to hurt yourself?"

She watched him apathetically as he began the task of cleaning up the dangerous fragments lying all around them. His hands and knees began to bleed as well, but if it hurt he showed no sign of his pain, or possibly no recognition of it. Lina tilted her head curiously, her formerly flaming hair, now a dulling grayish-white, falling over her shoulders. She seemed little more than a doll, except without the mechanical giggle. Her eyes were faintly showing wisps of the Sign, and they no longer contained any trace of life. It had only been a week since the deplorable incident, and she was already fading away fast.

Gourry disposed of the materials in a nearby trash bin. He then proceeded to cleanse the blood off his hands. For a moment, he stared down at them and wondered what he had done wrong, and what the point of his actions was since the blood of other lives he had taken would never wash away in the first place.

That's right. He had failed to protect her, and she had been just inches from his grasp. So why hadn't he reached out to pull her back away from harm? Was it because he was too stupid to realize what was going on until it had already been too late?

Sometimes he despised himself for his lack of intelligence. He would give everyone less trouble if only he wasn't so dense...

He suddenly slammed his fists down on the edge of the sink, splashing water everywhere and onto Lina's face. She slowly turned her head to him, still void of emotion, and murmured, "Gourry..."

He raised his head, frozen by the unexpected surprise, then slowly turned to look at Lina. Tears blurred his vision, but he was able to see the remains of tears on Lina's cheek. Truly astonished and filled with hope for the first time since it all began, he crawled over and reached out a trembling hand to push back the hair that covered her face.

Nothing had changed. She still had the same broken stare.

He could no longer prevent his own tears from falling. Gourry pulled her fragile, worn body into a caring embrace and cried into her hair, lightly kissing the top of her head and whispering her name every once in a while. He rocked her back and forth as though he were comforting her, though he was the one being comforted in truth. His heart broke a thousand times each time he looked at her exanimate face; it was beyond repair. He had just lost his companion that had accompanied him for four years, and she had been replaced by this life-sized marionette. She didn't even feel warm anymore. It was almost like she was caught in an endless nightmare and would never wake up again.

What a guardian he turned out to be.

After a while of just simply holding her, he remembered she still had wounds that needed to be tended to. Placing her back atop her bed, he smiled at her through a tear-stained face and said, "I'll go call Ameria to heal you up again. Wait here, ok Lina?" And with that, he left the room.

She seemed to watch his back as he left. His name once again escaped her lips as the door closed, but then her eyes once again grew darker and the memories of the blonde swordsman, the first person she ever loved, faded.

Zelgadiss hadn't been surprised to learn that Lina was, again, wounded, nor was he surprised to see Gourry's swollen and blood-red eyes, but he had been surprised that Gourry announced he would go buy supplies and, consequently, leave Lina to be taken care of. His wounds also had a shock effect on both Ameria and him. Ameria insisted on healing Gourry, but he ordered her to check on Lina in such an uncharacteristically harsh voice that it even stung Zelgadiss to hear. Though it's not like he didn't understand – they were all crushed by what had happened.

Even with bloodshot eyes and a red face, Ameria still shaped up in order to face Lina again. She was about to go in when a stony hand rested on her shoulder and held her back.

"I'll take care of it," he said gently. "Go rest, you've been at it all night."

Ameria didn't like the idea, but she obliged anyway since her body was aching, and both her mind and soul were exhausted. Casting him a look of thanks, she headed off down the hall in the opposite direction Gourry had gone and retreated to her room.

Zelgadiss waited until he heard the lock on her door latch firmly before cautiously entering into Lina's room.

He was prepared for the worse, but the first impression was simply beyond his greatest imagination.

He caught her in a semi-erotic pose, naked, and looking out the window at what he assumed to be the moon. He gulped and wondered if he really should have let Ameria take care of her, but the wounds all over her body reminded him where his priorities were. He closed the door tightly behind him and, with shamelessness, focused on her as he went across the room to her.

"Lina."

She turned to him, giving him a fairly good view of her body, but he was beyond that now. He forced her to lie back down, pulled the bloodstained bedsheets over her lower body, and ensued healing her.

"So how have you been feeling?" Zelgadiss inquired, though he really wasn't expecting a worthwhile answer. He felt like he was trying to heal the dead – do the impossible.

As expected, she didn't respond. He pretended not to care and continued healing her tattered body. He frowned when he realized the wound in the middle of her chest was larger, as though she had been trying to cut her heart out, but decided against telling the others about it.

She began whispering something, but he couldn't quite make out what she meant to say. Keeping his hand over her wound, he leaned over to hear what she had to say.

"Where...Zel..."

He was confused. Maybe she couldn't see or hear him. A little louder than last time, he said, "I'm right here."

She continued to whisper, much to his confusion. It took a while for him to realize that she had more to say, and he leaned his ear in to hear her again.

"Where did you go... Xelloss...?"

Zelgadiss stiffened at the name. So she had been calling out for that bastard, and he had interpreted it as his own name. His other hand clenched into a fist as he recalled how Xelloss had simply accepted what Zelas had done and left her in their care. Xelloss didn't deserve to be empathized with, after deserting the person who loved him most - the person who had picked that mazoku over himself.

Zelgadiss noticed Lina was whispering something else now. Once again, he leaned over to hear what she had to say. This time, however, it was barely audible even to his enhanced hearing as a chimera. He was so close that he could feel her cold breath on his cheek.

The words that came out of her mouth were: "I love you."

Ameria soon realized that she wouldn't be able to sleep. She tossed and turned in bed, trying to find a comfortable position but unable to do so in the end. Lina's image plagued her mind and refused to let her slip into the land of slumber peacefully. She shivered even though she was covered with three different layers of bedsheets. Somehow the cold just would not go away.

She hadn't mentioned to Zelgadiss or Gourry that Lina's expression, though just for a moment, reflected that shared by all the Dark Lords they had encountered before. The one insane smile they had when people in front of them were dying...

She shivered again and hid her face in her pillows, trying to hide from the darkness that threatened to engulf her. It was all too much for the little princess to handle. She should never have agreed to come along on the journey. Her father...

She swallowed a knot, wondering how her father fared at home. Was he okay? Or was some cousin trying to kill him for the throne again? Or maybe...

The sound of plywood creaking just inches from her bed interrupted her thoughts and alerted her to another presence in the room. She threw her bedsheets off of her body and sat up quickly, muscling up enough courage to ask who was there.

There was no answer. She was halfway through casting a lighting spell when a hand clamped over her mouth, muffling her screams. She struggled a bit, but was greeted by a familiar voice.

"Where's my mother?"

Zelgadiss had just finished healing Lina and pulled the sheet over her body again when Ameria burst through the door, causing him to jump up from his seat in alarm and ready a fireball spell in his hand. He quickly disintegrated it and was about to ask what was wrong when a pink-haired girl barged in and answered his question non-verbally. She located her mother and ran over to her side, inspecting her.

Zelgadiss felt as though he should explain her nudity before being inquired by the two females, so he began with "Uh, you see, she was already like this when..."

"How did this happen? It wasn't supposed to happen this way."

Zelgadiss and Ameria were both confused by her sudden comment. "She got the Sign after..."

Rosa took her mother's hand and pressed the backside of it to her cheek. With a serious look, she said, "No not that. I meant this never happened in my history!"

Gourry strolled along the roads in the town of Miran, ignoring the pain surging up his legs. It was a deserted old place, lacking the life and activity that it had, or appeared to have on the festival night. He remembered how irresistibly gorgeous Lina had looked on that night, and he became melancholy again.

He stopped his walk at the fountain in the center of town. It still glowed, though dimly, probably showing how much time the town had left before it would just vanish from existence. He dipped his scarred feet into the water, dirtying the former purity. The fountain suddenly started working again, spraying up a beautiful design of cascading water that glittered in the night.

He stared at it sadly. "Even you feel sorry for me, I guess."

The mercenary sat there for a while just reminiscing about old adventures with Lina when a figure appeared across the fountain from him. He glared suspiciously at the person for a bit, then his eyes opened wide with shock as he recognized the face. "You...!"

"Please take me to her. Quickly."

"What does this mean?" wondered Ameria.

"I don't know," answered Rosa. "In my history, Lina survived the encounter with Deep Sea Dolphin and eventually settled down to have me and my sisters. She died when..."

Rosa stopped mid-sentence and bit her lip. "Nevermind."

Ameria understood when to stop prying into personal business and stopped Zelgadiss from doing so. Changing the subject, she asked, "How did you get out?"

"Xelloss got us out," the girl answered. "Juu-ou-sama is a reasonable person, when she wants to be."

Zelgadiss noticed she called her father by name and used the respectful name for the Beastmaster as her father always did. He then noticed she said "us" instead of "me", which probably meant the damn fruitcake finally hauled his ass over. And it was about damn time, too.

So where was he, anyway?

Before he could ask, however, Rosa spoke up again. "I don't have much longer to exist here."

They were stunned by the announcement. "Why?" asked Ameria.

Rosa's expression became somber as she tenderly placed Lina's hand back down and whispered a small prayer to the gods, or maybe even L-sama. She faced Ameria and Zelgadiss full frontal and began to explain. "Time travel is a forbidden spell. Of course it would have consequences or people would be casting it daily to fix little things gone wrong in the world."

"So why did you come back?" Zelgadiss asked the precocious girl who had to endure so much more at such a young age.

"Because... I had to stop the world from ending...even if the price is becoming a ghost destined to wander for all eternity," she answered softly. She really didn't want to die – not yet. She had only barely begun to live.

Ameria was ready to offer words of condolence when Gourry barged into the room shouting, "Guys! I found Xelloss!"

Lina seemed to respond to his name, and tilted her head towards the door expectantly. Sure enough, the mazoku priest came through the entrance, but he no longer wore his usual façade. Instead, an austere look along with a hint of sheer exhaustion took its place.

Zelgadiss lost all will to beat the living daylights out of him when he appeared. He, too, had apparently suffered more than his fair share. It was none of the uncaring, nonchalant attitude Zelgadiss had imagined. The mazoku still had feelings for Lina, and they were strong as ever.

Everyone cleared a path for him to stumble, literally, over to Lina's side. He staggered a couple times, using his staff for support and balance. When he finally reached her side, he fell to his knees and immediately beseeched her forgiveness with a simple "I'm sorry."

She just stared at him through lifeless eyes, as she was still stuck in her trance-like state, and even he could not break through it.

He took her pale, ghastly hand and kissed each fingertip, then curled it into a fist to clasp between his hands. She felt icy, as though she was nothing more than remains of skin and bone. She had grown much, much thinner since he had last laid eyes upon her, almost thin enough to be completely hidden and unnoticeable beneath the bedsheets. And her skin no longer seemed attached to her bones, as though they were rotting off of her form while she was still alive.

Ameria felt tears spring back up in her eyes. Rosa was the first to notice the princess's quivering lip and escorted her outside with Gourry just steps short of them. Zelgadiss, taking a hint for once, lingered beside the two lovers for a bit before taking his leave, shutting the door behind him to give Xelloss and Lina their much needed time alone together.

After they had gone, Xelloss slowly put her head back down and mounted himself above her. He tilted her head up so her eyes gazed into his, and pressed his hands down on either side of her head into the pillows so it looked as if he were pinning her still. They remained like this for a few minutes as Xelloss tried to steady his surging emotions and force his lower lip from quivering, but his efforts were in vain.

With tears falling from his eyes, he leaned in for a kiss. His arms wrapped around her frail body and pulled her against him as he fell to her side. Even her lips were cold, he noticed, and cried a little more.

He honestly hadn't expected his master to do such a thing, for she had never done anything remotely similar before. Then again, _he_ had never done anything remotely similar before, either. When he had asked her why she did it, she had simply answered with "It's for your own good."

That was true – it would be for his own good if Lina was no longer around. But it wasn't what he _wanted _to do; he was willing to accept a few troubles if he could enjoy his life, or lack thereof, a bit.

He ran his fingers through her now coarse hair and kissed the tip of her eye. She whispered something inaudible to his ear, but he could feel it sink into his heart, and his blood ran cold.

"Please kill me..."

Ameria had cried herself to sleep and was now resting against the wall, head on Gourry's shoulder, who himself was resting beside her. Zelgadiss paced the hallway, trying to think of some way, any way, to save Lina from her predicament. He owed her that much, for she had been his savior on more than one occasion. That kind of valor and integrity was hard to match, but he would exert himself this time since he had to. She was precious to him – to them all – and he wasn't ready to give up so easily.

His deep pondering was punctuated by Gourry's concerned statement: "Are you ok?" Zelgadiss turned around to see Rosa hunched up on the floor, clutching her sides in agony and panting heavily.

The telltale fading, beginning at her feet, explained what was happening.

Zelgadiss rushed over to aid her, but was blocked by an invisible barrier that surrounded what was left of her body. He pounded on it in an attempt to break through, but his efforts were in vain. All he could do was stand there and watch.

Rosa fought the pain for a moment and sat up. Half of her body was already dematerialized, and more was fading quickly. There was one more vital piece of information she had to tell them before she could disappear, though.

"There was a prophecy," she began, gathering the attention from the two stunned onlookers. "It says, 'Beware the child of silence, for when the moon shines red and the child has come of age, the world will be plunged into everlasting darkness." She gave a weak, but amused grin. "Although what the Lord of Nightmares wants, she gets, so I guess it's inevitable anyway..."

Her consciousness slipped from her as the rest of her body was consumed, leaving Zelgadiss and Gourry speechless. Ameria stirred in her sleep and woke up to ask, "What happened?"

Zelgadiss forced himself to appear as though nothing happened. Luckily Ameria was still half-asleep or she would have definitely noticed his awkward shifting as he answered, "It's nothing, go back to sleep."

When her breathing had finally become deep and even, both Gourry and Zelgadiss whispered a small prayer to the young girl who, even in such a short time, they had befriended.

_May her soul someday be forgiven and be given permission to rest in peace._

Xelloss couldn't believe what she had just said. He was asphyxiated by her words, as if he was searching for some clue that it was all a lie and not what she was sincerely wishing for. But no matter how hard he searched, there was not an inch of chicanery in her words. She meant it, and she honestly expected him to go through with it.

He rolled off to the side, landing on his back just beside his beloved, wondering what on earth was happening. He felt pretty outraged, and for good reason. The diamond of his eye was dying – decaying – right before his eyes, and the only words she kept for him in her soul were "Please kill me." More frustrated than he was upset, he pressed his hands against his eyes and rubbed violently, hoping to wake himself from this agonizing nightmare which imprisoned him. His eyes burned, but at least he was placated for the time being.

A light weight suddenly landed on his stomach, and he glanced down at it in a rather dazed and confused manner. It was Lina's hand, thin and bony. Without a reaction, he slowly arched his neck to look at her pallid face whose chilly breath he felt gliding over his skin.

Her eyes were silver and dull with pre-mature age – an early form of the sign. Xelloss felt her gaze stretching the concave in his chest and he turned his face quickly away. He didn't want to see her like that – like a rag doll absent of life. But when she gently cupped his cheek with that thin hand and weakly turned his gaze back to her, he looked on with unending sorrow.

In a fit of anger, more due to his own dominating emotions rather than her actions and persistence, he forced her onto her back and wrapped his trembling fingers around her neck with the intent to strangle her, but without the will to execute the action. Why isn't my body listening to me? – Burned the thought in his mind, sending tremors of rage throughout his body and a counterwave of hopelessness. Finally the later emotion won over the former, and he released his hold on her neck and fell upon her, his head landing on her bosom.

And as if he were speaking directly to her heart, he whispered in a voice no louder than the wind's sigh...

"You are already so far away from me, Lina-san..."

The atmosphere in the hallway was grim, as if foreshadowing the already apparent lingering death on the other side of the wooden door. The air was heavy, making it difficult to breathe, and they all felt it suffocating them.

Zelgadiss was the first to start up the conversation, beginning it with a simple "Hey."

Gourry's ears perked up, and he raised his swollen red, sleep-deprived eyes to meet those of his long-time companion. He, too, responded with a simple "Yeah?"

Zelgadiss waited a moment to catch his breath before continuing. "Should we really trust a mazoku like that? What if he ends up killing her?" he wondered, not knowing the irony in his words.

Gourry smiled unknowingly and replied, "Well, I think that...since Xelloss always had Lina's best interests in mind, he'll know what to do, even if it really is killing her."

And for once, Zelgadiss said nothing cynical about his decision, nor did he think the blonde too stupid and naïve. Instead, he bore a small grin and accepted the fate.

"I guess you're right."

Xelloss sat on the edge of the bed staring at her for a very, very long time. He was ambivalent; his decision vacillated between what he wanted to do and what he knew he _had_ to do. He retraced his steps back to the very beginning, when all he knew about the girl was that she was some feared sorceress who had killed a piece of his Master effortlessly – or so had been told. He retraced his steps all the way back to when he had first run into her in the middle of a blown up tavern, fire ablaze and all around this seemingly carefree girl of only sixteen or seventeen years of age. She had fascinated him at first sight, and he wondered how such a vibrant girl – human – was capable of defeating his lord all mighty. But as he realized that, beneath her childish appearance, she was a being who commanded great respect and carried the weight of the world on her shoulders.

And he was going to decide the fate of this person solely by himself? Impossible.

He implored a nonexistent being in his mind to answer his questions and advise him on what to do, but all in vain. No one would answer him in the end. He was alone in this decision.

Lina's resolve hadn't changed, and it was evident that she would not free him from guilt until he carried through with her last request. He was almost about to tell someone else to do it, but her face told him that he was the only one she could entrust with such a difficult task. The others would have failed miserably.

But he couldn't just let her go like this, so he materialized a simple yet meaningful necklace from his ephemeral figure. The necklace had a simple jewel – composed of a ruby and amethyst twirled together in union – hanging from it, but it twinkled like ethereality.

"Return this to me the next time we meet," Xelloss said, clasping her hands around the jewel and kissing her forehead tenderly. "...So that a part of me may always be with you."

Having said all that needed to be said, Xelloss drove his fist through her chest, crushing her heart and staining his hands with the blood of the one most precious to him.

"I believe in you..."

* * *

For better formatting go to my site. (Replace "," with ".")  
www,tslod,cjb,net


	20. Arc Two Prologue

The Slayers : Legacy of Darkness Arc Two – Prologue 

The flow of time is endless. People are born to live and to die. The threads of fate show no mercy to any soul, regardless of the impact that person has left upon the world. And as one person's time stops moving, others will continue to go on. They continue to live out the life set before them, taking detours as they come along, but always returning to the sourcefrom whence they came.

But for one soul, feared by many but loved by her creator, the gears of time that had once rusted to a stop had begun to move once again…

"Shh! What's that noise?"

"I don't know. You tell me."

"Would you shut up and go check it out!"

"Yeah, yeah…"

The first man, a soldier of tall stature yet slim and genuinely not built for battle, pushed the second man, a round, chubby soldier of small stature, forward into the cave from which the faint sounds came from. They were assigned to the night shift and had been patrolling the outer regions of the kingdom when one had idly decided to stray slightly from the set paths and had stumbled across a unique rock formation that others remained unaware of. Driven by a large amount of curiosity, the men decided to scour the mysterious land when a loud cry emerged from deep within the cave.

Only a few meters in from the mouth of the cave did they find what they were looking for; a small baby, wrapped in raggedy towels and placed in a cheap, wooden casket—signifying that it had been left to be picked up or destined to die—rested on the cold marble stone. The baby was gripping onto something tightly—something identified to be a necklace with a shining jewel of ruby and amethyst hanging from it under closer inspection. Suffering a huge wave of guilt and responsibility, the two men took this baby into their arms and returned to their kingdom, hoping to find a place for her to live.

As they left, a cloaked, golden figure emerged from a shadowed corner of the cave. She held a scythe in her hand and appeared to be no older than sixteen. Her clothes were mainly black—contrasting greatly with her long, golden hair; her skin seemed to glow with the radiance and luminosity of the sun, illuminating everything her fingers blessed with their touch. But despite this young appearance, she walked with grace and grandeur and radiated both eloquence and nobility.

From this spot she looked on as the pair of stooges stumbled away, but she was unaffected by their incompetence because, as their creator, she knew very well they were capable of ensuring the child's safe delivery. A lukewarm breeze blew by her just then, twisting through her lengthy strands of hair and carrying her whispered words of importance to the ears of the baby: "Your story is not yet over, my child."

Indeed, it is far from over. The second half has only barely begun.


	21. Chapter 12

"Princess? Your father, the king, requires your presence in the upcoming hour, and you must be in a presentable state"  
The little girl popped her head out from behind a rosebush and stuck her tongue out at the servant unfortunate enough to have been given the task of restraining, bathing, and dressing the tomboy of a princess before the banquet that night when the king of Zelphia would be arriving, along with his son of only nine years of age, Elliot. Once they arrived, the king of this land, Frederick van L'ciel, planned to propose peace between the two kingdoms, formerly tense at relations with one another, by securing the alliance with a marriage between the young Lord Elliot and the young lady of the kingdom Elsmaria. The princess was a tomboy of only four years of age, but already she was adored and loved by everyone within the kingdom, with the exception of her maids and nurses who had to tolerate her rambunctiousness and frolicking from day to day.  
The maid servant made a vain attempt to pursue the playful child, but the child was already far beyond the view of the human eye, so she returned to the kitchen wondering what kind of excuse she could manage to offer the king for this inconvenience. The child honestly brought her nothing but trouble, but she couldn't help loving the girl nonetheless; she had given birth to a daughter who died within the first year, so the princess filled that empty cavity in her heart, and for that she was thankful. "I suppose I'll ask Elinor to help me out again…" she thought as she rubbed the dirt off her hands with her apron.  
"Then again…maybe that's not such a good idea after all" 

The little princess scurried off to the marketplace, a location she had been frequenting quite often lately. It was a lot more fun—a much better pastime than reading books about the Kouma-sensou, the 100 years war, and other things that had happened in the history of their world—and she had been able to make friends with kids of her own age. She was unhappy being shrouded by the atmosphere of the palace, and the only people she was permitted to speak with (no question about playing—they didn't do that within castle walls) were the plethora of maids and servants assigned to watch and educate her. Needless to say, she lived a dull and monotonous lifestyle with a daily repetitious cycle—a nightmare for a child of her age. She needed to get out of that birdcage whenever possible, and today was one of those days since Elinor, the strictest and most versatile of the maids, was not assigned to the princess's quarters but instead to the kitchen, for the king had asked to have her specialty, quail with rose petal sauce, cooked every Tuesday of the week. He loved every aspect of the dish: the taste, the aroma, the sweetness and the delicateness of the soft rose petals. It was a dish meant for kings, formerly made with dragon's meat, but it had been long since humans had last laid their eyes upon a living, breathing dragon, and since then had declared the race to be extinct, so the recipe was altered to be more suitable for quail.  
But Lina, the princess, hated quail.  
So the little girl would always sneak out on Tuesdays, bringing along a few silver pieces to pay for a meal at the marketplace (though she had no idea that the food she received was hardly worth even a bronze piece). She also played with two kids from the town, a little boy and girl, and left them a silver piece or two since their father was ailing and the mother had to care for the children and couldn't maintain the smithy. The mother had once asked where her parents were and if they might be worried for her safety, but the girl told her that she had no parents and the stork had delivered her to the wrong house.  
The mother laughed at this and petted the girl's head. She must be the daughter of an aristocrat—she concluded, having heard stories about runaway children who disliked their noble parents because they had no time to care for the children at home. How else would the girl come to have so much money to spare?  
"What do you want to play today?" asked Gabriel, the son of the peasant family. He was dawdling his fingers idly and rocking back and forth on his heels as he waited for the two girls to decide what game they would play.  
"Let's play Dramatta again! Rawrrr fear me I am the horrible sorceress Lina Invarse!" the princess said, pretending to be a hideous serpent.  
"But we _always_ play that! And you know that my mommy hates it when we play that game! She says it curses whoever plays it!" little Sophia protested. She had gotten a spanking the last time her mom found out, and she was afraid of it happening again. Well it just so happened that the princess's name turned out to be Lina as well. She found so much amusement in the fact that she and the legendary enemy of all mankind shared the same name that she loved to pretend she was the legendary sorceress herself. It certainly beat being a princess, that was for sure.  
"Wasn't the name Lina Inverse?" wondered little Gabriel, finally getting up and brushing the dirt off his wool pants, patched up here and there with the canvas of potato sacks. He was getting bored waiting and honestly didn't care what game they were going to play—just so long as they found something to do before supper came around. Turning to his sister, he complained, "Come on I wanna playyyyyyy!"  
Sophia pretended to be angry and said, "Do whatever you want," but when Gabriel ran off with Lina into the alleys, she chased after them in fear of being punished by her mother for not keeping an eye on her brother. "Wait!"

"You _WHAT_!?" The maid who had been chasing after Lina earlier cowered beneath Elinor's icy glare and booming voice. She had hoped Elinor wouldn't be in a foul mood that day, but alas, as always, she was. She wouldn't be able to get out of this mess tonight…at least, not alive. But dying seemed like the better alternative now in comparison to suffering Elinor's wrath, so she wouldn't mind having her carcass being strung to the tree as long as she wasn't alive to feel it. "First of all, the princess should have never even been able to leave the library if you (she placed emphasis on the "you") had been watching her properly. After all, an early education is key to a successful ruler," Elinor stated, going into that dictator pose she always used to lecture her subordinates with—legs together, chest upright, chin up, and a firm disposition all around, even at the tip of her finger with which she used to scold people. "I will not tolerate this poor conduct; do you hear me, Helena"  
"Yes, ma'am," she said.  
"After all, who could imagine the kinds of heinous crimes that are being committed along the streets of the commoners! Oh, what would we do if"  
Helena sighed. She wasn't quire sure what was worse: hours of intense and grueling labor or enduring one of Elinor's speeches on how evil was always running rampant in the streets and needed some serious purging, and how Lina was destined to be the savior of them all. She usually ended up doing one or the other, since she was the only person in the castle who sympathized with Lina's feelings of seclusion and wanted to give the child the freedoms any other child her age would have. It was this act of generosity that caused her to suffer painful circumstances, but she never regretted it, not even once. She always felt that she was doing the right thing, or what was "just" in her eyes.  
"Are you listening"  
"Y-yes, ma'am"  
"Then repeat what I just said"  
"…The world is a place full of vile and corrupt people"  
"Yes it is, but you are WRONG. As punishment for your poor behavior as of late, I expect the entire kitchen to be shined spotless by the time I return with the princess. Is that clear"  
Helena sighed. "Yes, ma'am"

The children had been running around playing for only about half an hour when the sound of trumpets blaring an introductory statement pierced through the evening skies. Of course the kids had been eager to find out what it was that merited such a grand fanfare, and all three (though little Sophia protested at first) made their way to the gates where people were forming crowds of spectators, equally curious to know what was going on.  
They managed to squeeze through people's legs to the front where they would be able to watch the procession up close and personal, but as the crowd pushed and shoved, they became in danger of being trampled by the horses that rode through. Mud was being tossed all over their clothes, and all seemed over when Lina lost her footing and slipped, knocking both Sophia and Gabriel down with her, taking them directly onto the horses' path.  
But a kind soul from the crowd reached out and pulled them out of harm's way. He steadied them on their feet, advised them to be more careful, and slipped back into the crowd. Lina was, however, able to catch that he had raven black hair and burned the image into her mind so she'd be able to thank him properly lest they meet again.  
But they were all a complete mess, and as Sophia and Gabriel cried at the top of their lungs, Lina could only look on with burning tears in her eyes, for it was her fault they were in this mess. Her knees were scathed roughly, and they bled. Furthermore, a stinging, numbing pain ran up and down her legs as the scrapes were being infected by the mud and the many microorganisms that lived within it. She hiccupped and wondered how she would slip back into the castle in that state, then hiccupped wondering what she would do when Elinor found her.  
A white rose, along with a matching handkerchief with gold trim descended and fell upon her lap, silencing her meager sobs and turning her chin up to meet him. She saw the boy, a young but fairly handsome young man mounted upon a royal steed. He had gorgeous blonde hair and the loveliest blue eyes, and by the way he dressed and rode alongside the king, there was no doubt in Lina's mind that this was the noble prince Helena spoke so often of. He smiled sweetly at her, causing her to blush lightly, and mouthed the words: "Please don't cry anymore, dear princess"  
Sophia, too, had been entranced by his glorious vision, enough to make her completely forget why she had been crying in the first place. Gabriel, however, was hardly pacified. But before anything else happened, Lina felt a chill run up and down her spine when a familiar voice rang out through the crowd, growing ever closer and ever angrier.  
"LINA DU MAR L'CIEL! YOU COME OUT RIGHT THIS INSTANT!"  
Everyone's heads turned. The princess was roaming out among the common grounds? That was absolutely absurd! What would a princess—only five years old at that—be doing out where it was dangerous?  
Lina squeezed back into the crowd, panicking for her life, heart racing at three times the normal rate to compliment the waves of adrenaline coursing through her veins. She always enjoyed this high she got from running away from Elinor's grasp. She had only been caught by the maid two times before: once when she had been ambushed quite unfairly and another time when she had twisted her ankle quite painfully. But all in all, this was the best game they had to offer her, and for some reason she enjoyed being just one step ahead of the crowd…  
Dodging carts this way and that, she felt her senses suddenly heightened, along with an impeccably good sense of intuition. She could see the cart wheels as they turned, reacting at the precise moment and making it safely through to the other side, through the narrow and dangerous tunnel beneath the carriages. She could hear the horses' footsteps as they trotted along, and she was able to figure out the speed at which the carriages rolled from that alone. And as her adrenaline soared, so did her agility, and she flew from one end of the street to the other effortlessly, as though she had been graced with wings to aid her as she evaded perils left and right. Truly a gift, indeed.  
When she was sure she was well out of Elinor's range of hearing, seeing, smelling, or whatever else the maid used to track her down each time, she sat down and took a chance to breathe, gasping for the desperately needed air she hadn't inhaled during that entire course of anaerobic exercise. Her feet and legs throbbed in pain, as did her head, and she felt a light dizzy spell wash over her as the world began to turn a bright, blinding white…  
And she passed out.

Elinor was panting heavily. This was no longer a game; she honestly needed to find the princess, and fast. Imagine the humility that King Frederick would feel if his daughter were to not show up at such an important time! Not to mention the poor impression King Alexander would receive from the unkindly gesture. In fact, her absence alone might threaten the already weak alliance the two kingdoms shared…  
"You needn't worry. She is already back at the palace, overwhelmed by exhaustion"  
Elinor whirled around to face this stranger who had just spoken. He was properly clad with an outfit that indicated he was a well-educated scholar. Loosening her shoulders up a bit, she asked, "Who are you"  
He smiled and nodded his head to her, removing the hat from atop his head in proper respect to a lady. "I am merely a humble tutor, currently here in town to seek a job. You see, I happened to catch a glimpse of the princess as she made her way towards the castle, the Western side with the large veranda…" he remarked cheerfully, apparently very pleased by the rare, un-royalty-like behavior one would never find in a princess.  
That was all Elinor needed to know. Picking up the ends of her skirt, she quickly curtsied, uttered a small thanks, and stomped towards the palace gate. She seemed ready to kill someone, with the way her face looked and the way she walked. The strange visitor shook his head amusedly and turned to leave.

Lina opened her tiny eyes, at first still blinded by the whiteness that swallowed her up earlier but soon adjusting to the darkness that swept over the lands before her. She was in one of the sections of the veranda…a large room surrounded by glass (as the rest of the veranda was) situated around a single tree that grew in the center…  
She recognized it almost immediately. Somehow, by a strange twist of fate, she always ended up here time after time again. It was almost as though the tree had become a permanent part of her, and its branches would never let her go…  
This was where she had first developed a fear of heights. Before, a year or so ago, Lina had loved to climb up this cherry tree. Day after day she would play upon it, climbing higher and higher until she reached the limit and couldn't go any further. But day after day she did not realize that, even though she was growing steadily, the tree did not grow with her, and one gusty day, the branch she was sitting on, the one she loved to sit on, snapped from beneath her.  
She plummeted to the ground, taking many thinner branches with her as she screamed at the top of her lungs. If it had not been for the branches full of cherry blossoms to slow and cushion her fall, she might have perished that very day.  
So she developed a love for flowers and a fear of heights.  
Her father, the king, had wanted the tree cut down immediately, but Lina still harbored a grandiose yet complicated love for it, so he had the veranda annexed to it, building the ceiling low in order to prevent the tree from growing larger, in case Lina might attempt the same thing again someday. But she felt sad for the tree, having to grow in this cramped space, not free to stretch its arms out in all its splendor.  
In a way, this tree reflected the kind of person Lina was—hindered by fate. She, too, was caged within the palace walls, and yearned to be free to be who she was; she yearned to be free from the restrictions that deemed her the princess she was. And, like the tree, one day she would have to shed her fears like it shed its leaves, and only then would she be able to begin anew. She jumped when she heard a door shut from behind her. She fell down as she twirled around, frightened like a little lamb until she recognized who the person was.  
"Oh! It's you! You're the man who saved me!" she exclaimed, recognizing his long, black, raven hair. She stood up and brushed herself off (though the mud was deeply soaked into her clothes and made it uncomfortable to move, for it was beginning to dry and crack into pieces) and curtsied. "Thank you for your help previously"  
She saw him laugh a bit, black eyes twinkling in the moonlight that lit the shadows on his face, and frowned. "What's so funny?" she demanded.  
"Oh, nothing. I'm just surprised at how cute you can be"  
Her cheeks flushed. She hated being called cute, since it was a term used for children and she never thought of herself as a child, despite the fact that she was one. She was about to reprimand his mistake when she saw the strangest thing…  
His feet never seemed to touch the ground as he walked towards her.  
She blinked once, twice, and then rubbed her eyes, convinced that she must still be seeing things since his feet appeared to be firmly planted on the ground in front of her. Afraid she might say something to embarrass herself, she remained silent and let him speak.  
He crouched down so he could look her in the eyes. They were bright red, matching the orangey color of her long hair, a peculiar color in their time. He wiped a couple mud stains from her cheeks, along with the tear stains, and then inquired, "What is it you have in your hand"  
She looked down, not knowing herself what she was so tightly gripping on to. She slowly loosened the firm grip she had on it, and the contents slipped out of her hand and onto the ground.  
It was the handkerchief and rose the boy from earlier gave her. She blushed when she remembered his gentle smile, and she was astonished to find that the rose was unharmed.  
"That's a very nice gift. Tell me, who gave it to you?" inquired the man curiously.  
"I…I think he was the prince of Zelphia…" she answered sheepishly.  
The man smiled warmly at her and picked up the dropped articles, placing them back in the palm of her hand. What he did next was astonishingly peculiar, however, for he reached over her shoulder and took the silver chain from around her neck between his thumb and forefinger, lifting the jewel that hung from it from its resting spot beneath her shirt at her chest. He looked at it endearingly as Lina stared at him in wonder, but before she could inquire he tucked the necklace back into its place and began, "I wanted to ask you something…but there is no need for that now." As he stood up to leave, Lina clutched the jewel at her chest and stepped forward.  
"Will I be seeing you?" she asked.  
"Most likely," he replied with a casual grin.  
She was satisfied with that answer, but being the curious little kitten she was, she further inquired, "What was it that you wanted to ask me"  
He paused at the door, turned to her with a finger pressed to his lips in secrecy, and left.


End file.
